The Complete 2018 Didi Gregorius Emoji Dictionary

As is tradition, in the interlude between the regular season and playoffs, that weird limbo that baseball occupies for a scant few hours, it’s time to review the additions, deletions and changes to the PSA Didi Gregorius Emoji Dictionary.

For those new to the team – where have you been? – the Yankees’ shortstop famously follows each team win with a wholesome, encouraging victory tweet, with the game’s biggest players each represented by an emoji:

I am a tireless tracker of things, and a not-insignificant chunk of my hard drive is dedicated to set lists on various concert tours, Net Present Values of player contracts, which PSA staff member wins the most of their game recaps, and of course, Didi’s emoji use. At the end of the 2018 season, the complete Diditionary looks like this:

A lot of these carry over year to year. Gregorius is a man who approves of consistency, so Gary Sanchez – the octopus – and Aaron Hicks – the old man – have been the same for a number of seasons. Let’s take some time to highlight the new emojis.

Luis Severino/Jordan Montgomery – Children

This is a fitting change for both players. Last year, Sevy and Monty were represented by babies, as the pitching staff’s Baby Bombers. As they’ve both grown and matured this season – albeit in an abbreviated year for Montgomery – Didi’s reflected that growth by changing their emojis to children. One more year of progress and our wonderful Baby Bombers may be all grown up.

Giancarlo Stanton – Volcano

Volcanoes are one of the preeminent examples of the power of nature. Readers of a certain age will remember the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and most people have heard of the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum, victims of a devastating Vesuvius eruption. Perhaps the strongest natural explosion in the history of our planet was the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. With all that, it’s a given that arguably the strongest player in the history of the game would be represented by such a fearsome force.

Domingo German – Ant

This is a fun one. Earlier in the year, German took over a rotation spot, and did pretty well for himself in his first go-around. He showed elite stuff and an ability to make hitters swing and miss. The ant can carry many times its own body weight, and it does so for the good of the colony. German lifted far more than his burden, for the good of the team.

Of course, ants are easy to squish. A shoe, rock or thumb will be enough to end the journey of a single wayward ant. German himself was squished almost out of baseball, by falling apart completely at the end of the season. Who knew that MLB players all carried magnifying glasses?

Lance Lynn – Snowman

A midseason pickup, Lynn is both a fair-complexioned man and rather rotund. Interestingly, he has another emoji that Didi sometimes will use…

Dellin Betances/Lance Lynn – Brontosaurus

Didi has used the brontosaurus emoji for two pitchers, one who works the beginning of games and one who works the end. Personally, I think that Dellin, a 6’8” giant who seems more like an incredibly cuddly Great Dane than anything else, fits the idea of a mammoth, herbivorous gentle dinosaur than Lynn does. Having said that, brontosauri were herd animals, so it makes sense that there would be more than one on a team.

Luis Cessa – Mexican Flag

Last year, the Mexican flag was the designated emoji for Jaime Garcia. It seems like this is a cursed emoji, as Cessa was assigned it earlier this year and since then has pitched….well, you know how.

Shane Robinson – Hedgehog

When threatened, a hedgehog balls up, presenting an impermeable collection of spines to ward off predators. Shane Robinson seemed to have a similar painful defensive posture, as he stayed on the team far longer than he should have.

Zach Britton – Wrench

In the era of launch angles and fly balls, trying to hit Britton’s devasting sinker is like trying to make solid contact with a 32mm wrench.

Andrew McCutchen – Man in Robe

Maybe my favorite addition to the Diditionary 2018, Cutch’s robe emoji – robemoji? – comes from the now-legendary Instagram video posted by the man himself:

Luke Voit - Bull

Luke Voit; strong like bull.

Which is your favorite Diditionary entry? Are there any emojis that you think don’t fit? Let us know in the comments below.