The number four pitcher for the Houston Astros this season is a lefty from the Dominican Republic by the name of Wandy Rodriguez. I remember hearing announcers mention last year that “Wandy” is not short for anything: it is his entire first name. My question is, does anyone have any idea where the name “Wandy” might have come from? Is it at all common in Latin America? My mother noticed that it sounds similar to “Juan,” and that makes me wonder if “Wandy” might derive from “Juan” somehow, perhaps originally as a nickname. Anyone have any idea?
Not important, obviously. But it’s an interesting name and I’m just curious about it.
If we’re in wild speculation territory, I would guess that it’s a faux Anglo name. There are lots of Dominican ballplayers who have names like this – I mean, names that are sort of like Anglo-Saxon names, but are sometimes a little off. There’s Robinson Cano, Wilson Betemit, Edwin Encarnacion, Franklyn German, Wily Mo Pena, Jhonny Peralta, Ervin Santana, Wilson Valdez, and Robinson Tejeda (this from Wikipedia, which has ballplayers by nationality).
