Diamondbacks’ LuJames Groover shares inspiration for his Marvel-themed nickname

Arizona Diamondbacks rookie LuJames Groover could not get enough of Blade, a 1998 Marvel film featuring Wesley Snipes as a black trench coat-wearing vampire hunter, when growing up in Georgia.

Groover used to dress up like the title character, even replacing parts he’d outgrown with his church slacks — which his mother was not thrilled about.

Because of Groover’s fandom, members of his family started to call him “Blade,” a nickname that has trickled into his baseball career.

“My family members started calling me that because I was dressed in the costume and things like that,” Groover told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday. “So a lot of people on my dad’s side, that’s what they call me. And I know my teammates ended up seeing that, and they’re like, ‘I never heard anyone call you that.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s because no one calls me that except for my family members.’ I’ve had some teammates calling me that and it started to stick a little bit.”

In a sport lacking memorable nicknames that don’t involve someone’s name with a “Y” at the end of it, there could be potential with Blade, especially if Groover can live up to expectations as a well-regarded prospect.

Three Blade movies hit theaters between 1998-2004, and Snipes made a cameo as the character in the 2024 movie, Deadpool & Wolverine.

Faces in the crowd

Groover made his MLB debut on Friday and collected his first hit on Saturday, both with his parents in the stands at Chase Field.

His first knock was a single to center that scooted past Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young, allowing Groover to skip to third base. He looked up at the crowd and found his parents, with an assist from the dugout:

“I was really looking in the stands originally. I don’t even know where the family section is yet,” Groover said. “And I happened to look at (manager Torey Lovullo), and when I looked at him, he was already pointing to them. I just thought that was really a really cool moment.”

Groover hit .322 in Triple-A Reno this season, earning a call-up not as an injury replacement but due to merit.

The Diamondbacks could use some production from first base after Ildemaro Vargas’ incredible April but struggle of a May. Groover said staying within himself despite the challenge will help him adjust and help the team score.

“I’m really just gonna try and do the thing I’ve done my whole entire life,” Groover said when asked about pressure. “I felt that I pretty much hit at every level I’ve been at going all the way back to college. It’s a game of adjustments, and this is the best and the hardest level you will play at. It’s just the way it is.

“So I think just figuring out different approaches. I know what I’m good at, and I like to play to my strength and I think that strength of mine will help the big league team win a lot of games, and I believe that’s what they thought as well. … Have a lot of good at-bats and driving a lot of runs whenever those opportunities present themselves.”

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