Tromp 45: Braves backup gets unexpected lesson on the politics of a number change

LOS ANGELES — Throughout his baseball career, Chadwick Tromp has heard fans shout his name, perhaps more than other players of his stature. The Atlanta Braves backup catcher has long understood that the name “Tromp” sits on the back of his jersey. Just one tantalizing vowel from the name of the polarizing former president of the United States.

Even if the cheers and jeers were far from devouring, he started hearing a new one this year. Tromp, who is from Aruba and says he doesn’t pay attention to American politics, was given jersey No. 45, replacing his old number 48. Donald Trump, of course, was the 45th president. Today, fans often shout “Tromp 45” in a way they never did for “Tromp 48.”

It wasn’t until Tromp was asked about the number change for this article that he said he realized why those calls had become different this season.

“They always yell ‘Tromp 45,’ but I never put two and two together,” Tromp said last week. “…I thought it was just ‘Chadwick Tromp, number 45.’”

Tromp, 29, is in his fifth season in the big leagues and has played professionally in the United States since 2013. He spent three years in Atlanta after two seasons with the San Francisco Giants. His time in the majors was economical, with only 53 games and 136 plate appearances to his name. Tromp was recalled March 30, but will likely be returned when wide receiver Sean Murphy (oblique) returns from the injured list in a few weeks.

Exactly how he ended up with the number 45 jersey remains a mystery. Tromp said he asked Braves clubhouse manager Calvin Minasian for a number change during the offseason. He wanted number 14 – he wore 14 and 60 at times in his career – but that became unavailable when Adam Duvall re-signed with the Braves. Tromp received 45, which he did not choose himself.

Minasian declined to comment when asked about the genesis of the selection, saying it was not a story. A Braves spokesperson also declined to comment.

“Ever since I played baseball, when I was with the Giants or wherever,” Tromp said, “they say ‘Tromp!’ I know it was because he was president.

When MLB Jersey Numbers tweeted their number change, the message went viral. Like everything about Trump, this divides respondents along ideological lines.

“My eyes can get stuck in the back of my head permanently while giving the biggest eye roll ever,” one user wrote.

“Making Atlanta Great Again,” posted another.

The right-wing sports outlet Outkick published an article with this headline: “Braves’ Chadwick Tromp Poised to Sell More Jerseys Than Any Backup Catcher Ever.”

Tromp’s No. 45 jersey is available on the Fanatics website, official partner of MLB. There is at least one independent team store that sells Tromp 45 shirts. Fanatics did not respond to a request for comment regarding Tromp jersey sales this year.

Tromp signed autographs for fans earlier this season. (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Braves occupy a unique geographic position in the baseball landscape. In many ways, they are the South’s team. States like Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, southern Virginia, and probably large swathes of Florida could all be considered Braves country. And almost all of these places would be considered political strongholds for the former president, who won all of these states in 2020, although he notably lost Georgia.

“There are tens of millions of people who don’t like Donald Trump. There are tens of millions of Americans who love him dearly,” said Curt Smith, a former speechwriter for George HW Bush, now a presidential and baseball historian, and a professor at the University of Rochester. “So I think it would be quite risky for a player to take Trump’s number. You invite applause. You definitely invite chat calls.

Tromp is not the first player with a presidential last name to wear the jersey number corresponding to that POTUS’ tenure, albeit unintentionally. There’s Ben Ford, who pitched an unremarkable 19 games in relief for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2004. Ford wore No. 38; Gerald Ford was the 38th president.

He said he chose the number himself, but did so without knowing its historical significance and its relationship to the president.

“My parents are also named Gerald and Betty Ford,” Ben said, referring to the congruence between his family and the former president and first lady. “Since I was young, we always talk about it like that. I never even thought I would do that.

UL Washington wore number 1 for the 1985 Expos. Buster Adams, who played in the 1940s, wore numbers 2 and 6 in his career. John Adams was the second president and John Quincy Adams the sixth. Two players named Jackson wore No. 7. Four players named Taylor wore No. 12. Six Johnsons wore No. 17, 10 more Johnsons wore No. 36. Three Wilsons wore 28. One Ike and one Dwight, both first names, bore No. 7. No. 34. Reggie Cleveland notably wore No. 22, but not No. 24.

There are other close calls. The Washington Senators had an infielder named John Kennedy, who wore number 34 in 1962, number 36 in 1963, and also shared a May 29 birthday with John F. Kennedy, the 35th president. There was also a John Fitzgerald who wore number 35 for his only major championship appearance in 1958.

Then there’s number 41 Guy Bush, who played with the Cubs in the 1920s and 1930s. He died in 1985, four years before George HW Bush became the 41st president of the United States. In any case, this appears to be a fluke, and Smith doesn’t believe we’ll suddenly see a wave of uniform presidential name and number congruence.

“I think if you wanted to honor John F. Kennedy with 35 years or Ronald Reagan with 40 years, I feel like that would receive greater favor,” Smith said. “But we have become such a polarized and hateful society in many ways. I’m not sure this is a trend that will accelerate.

Tromp played for the Netherlands in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. (I-Hwa Cheng / Associated Press)

This certainly seems unlikely. Tromp is in a unique position. And as Smith noted, the association between Trump and the number 45 is even closer than that of most presidents and their numbers, both because of marketing done by and on behalf of Trump, and to because of opponents who refer to him simply by the no. .45, rather than speaking his name into the ether.

Trump is running for president again in 2024. If Trump wins, Tromp will no longer have the option of having a matching uniform number again, at least if he remains in Atlanta; Tom Glavine’s number 47 is retired by the Braves.

For Tromp, none of this really matters. It wasn’t his choice to begin with. And it’s unclear how proactive the decision to make him 45 was. He is happy with the number and has no plans to change it.

“I mean, I like the number,” Tromp said. “It’s a good number. I like 45.”

(Top photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)