The best baseball players born on April 7

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 7:

1) Adrián Beltré (1979)

Beltré was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2024 after putting together one of the best careers for a third baseman of his era. From 1998, when he debuted, to 2018, when he retired, Beltré was worth 93.5 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference, which trailed only Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols in that stretch. He hit .286/.339/.480 (.819 OPS) and tallied a 115 wRC+ (league average is 100), which underscored just how prolific of a hitter he was over a prolonged stretch. For all of his 3,166 career hits that made him one of just 32 players in the exclusive 3,000-hit club, Beltré had just nine on his birthday throughout his 21-year career -- and he hit just one of his career 477 homers on the day he blew out candles. In total, Beltré played on his birthday 14 times.

2) Bobby Doerr (1918)

Known as the “silent captain,” Doerr played his entire 14-season Major League career with the Red Sox between 1937-51, missing '45 while serving during World War II. He was a nine-time All-Star who hit over .300 three times and drove in more than 100 RBIs six times, with a career slash line of .288/.362/.461 (.823 OPS) that helped him compile 51.6 WAR. At the time of his death in Novemeber of 2017, he was the oldest living Hall of Famer and the oldest living former big leaguer. He was also the first Hall member who lived to be 99 years old.

3) Ronnie Belliard (1975)

A cousin of former big leaguer Rafael Belliard, Ronnie carved out a productive 13-year career for five teams: the Brewers (with whom he spent five seasons), Nationals (three), Cleveland (three), Dodgers (two), Rockies (one) and Cardinals (one), with his best year coming in 2004, when he was an All-Star. In Colorado, he became the first non-roster invitee in franchise history to start on Opening Day after earning a Minor League contract the offseason prior. For his career, he was worth 20.8 WAR, and he hit .273/.338/.415 (.753 OPS) with 114 homers.

4) Eduardo Rodríguez (1993)

E-Rod, who signed with Arizona ahead of the 2024 season after two seasons with the Tigers, spent his first six years with the Red Sox, quietly putting up one of the most productive stretches from 2015-21 among left-handed starting pitchers. From a pure stuff standpoint, Rodríguez ranks right up there with the best of them. In Boston, he went 64-39 with a 4.16 ERA and 110 ERA+ (league average is 100).

5) Josh Hader (1994)

The lefty has emerged as one of the best bullpen pieces in the Majors, having won the Reliever of the Year Award in 2018, ‘19 and ’21. Hader was a four-time All-Star with the Brewers, before he was traded to the Padres in 2022. After being selected as an All-Star again with San Diego in 2023, Hader signed a five-year deal with the Astros in '24.

Others of note:

• Veronica Alvarez (1983): Manager of the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, Alvarez is widely recognized as a trailblazer in the sport.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for April 7? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.