The best baseball players born on April 28

Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar.

Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for April 28:

1. Barry Larkin (1964)
Larkin played his entire 19-year career with the Reds (starring on their 1990 World Series championship team), ranking second in franchise history in hits (2,340) and doubles (441), and placing third in games played (2,180), runs scored (1,329), total bases (3,527) and stolen bases (379). After a storied career as one of the top shortstops of his era, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012 in his third year of eligibility, receiving 86.4 percent (495 of 573) of the votes. Larkin was a 12-time All-Star, and he won the 1995 National League Most Valuable Player Award, nine Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Glove Awards.

2. Red Lucas (1902)
Lucas enjoyed an impressive 15-year Major League career as a right-handed pitcher for the Giants, Braves, Reds and Pirates, leading the National League in complete games three times in a four-year span with Cincinnati from 1929-32. He was also an accomplished batter, often serving as a pinch-hitter (114 hits in 505 pinch-hit appearances) and appearing in the field at second base, shortstop, third base and left field. After retiring following the 1938 season, Lucas served as a manager and coach for five Minor League teams during the 1940s.

3. Matt Chapman (1993)
Chapman has developed a reputation as one of the top all-around third basemen in his seven seasons in the Majors, particularly gaining recognition for his glovework. He has won four Gold Glove Awards (2018, ‘19, ‘21 and '23), two Platinum Glove Awards (‘18 and ‘19), two Fielding Bible Awards (‘18 and ‘19), two Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards (‘18 and ‘19) and one Overall Defensive Player of the Year Award (‘19). That defensive acumen has helped Chapman to two top-seven finishes in balloting for the American League MVP Award (‘18 and ‘19) and one All-Star appearance (‘19).

4. Pedro Ramos (1935)
Ramos was a workhorse over 15 seasons with the Senators, Twins, Indians, Yankees, Phillies, Yankees, Pirates, Reds and the Sens again. But most of his career was spent with subpar teams, and he led the American League in losses for four consecutive seasons (1958-61) while also leading the Majors in home runs allowed three times. Ramos was the winning pitcher in Minnesota’s inaugural game, defeating New York at Yankee Stadium on April 11, 1961.

5. Tom Browning (1960)
Browning enjoyed a stellar 12-year career, starring with the Reds for 11 seasons before spending his final campaign (1995) with the Royals. He led the National League in starts four times in a five-season span, culminating in Cincinnati’s World Series championship in 1990. Browning’s career highlight came on Sept. 16, 1988, when he tossed a perfect game against the Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium, for the 12th perfecto in MLB history and the first by a lefty since Los Angeles’ Sandy Koufax 23 years prior.

Others of note

David Freese (1983)
Freese enjoyed a solid 11-year career with the Cardinals, Angels, Pirates and Dodgers, but he will forever be associated with one of the best clutch hits in World Series history. With the Cards facing a 7-5 deficit to the Rangers in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6 of the 2011 Fall Classic, Freese hit a two-run triple off Texas closer Neftalí Feliz to even the score and send the game to extras. Two innings later, he drilled a walk-off solo homer to send the World Series to a decisive seventh game, in which he drove in another two runs to finish with a postseason-record 21 RBIs and secure the Fall Classic MVP Award, as the Cardinals won their 11th title.

Jackie Brandt (1934)
Brandt was a journeyman outfielder who played 1,221 games over 11 seasons for the Cardinals, Giants, Orioles, Phillies and Astros. He won a Gold Glove Award in 1959 with San Francisco and was a two-time All-Star with Baltimore. In 1966, Brandt was the last batter to face Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in a regular-season game, striking out to end the Dodgers’ 6-3 win over the Phils in the season finale.

Shane McClanahan (1997)
McClanahan was the Rays’ first-round pick in 2018, and he made his Major League debut in the 2020 American League Division Series against the Yankees, becoming just the fifth player to debut in the postseason. He finished seventh in the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year balloting after recording a 10-6 record and a 3.43 ERA while starting 25 games for Tampa Bay. McClanahan was an All-Star in 2022 and '23.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for April 28? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.