The best baseball players born on Aug. 4

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 August 4.

1) Roger Clemens (1962)
The Rocket made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 1984 and would go on to have a 24-year career. Clemens was a seven-time Cy Young winner, 11-time All Star, two-time Triple Crown recipient and a two-time World Series champion. The right-hander spent 13 seasons with the Red Sox, six with the Yankees, two with the Blue Jays and three with the Astros. While Clemens has certified Hall of Fame numbers, his chances of making it to Cooperstown dwindled after his former strength coach Brian McNamee testified in 2012 that he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs multiple times from 1998-2001.

2) Jake Beckley (1867)
The first baseman was tough to face at the plate -- if his .308 career average wasn't enough reason, Beckley was known for shouting “Chickazoola!” at opposing pitchers in an attempt to throw them off. Beckley made his debut with the National League Pittsburgh Alleghenys, where he spent the majority of his 20-year career. He also made stops in Cincinnati, St. Louis, New York and with the Players' League Pittsburgh Burghers in 1890. Beckley, nicknamed "Eagle Eye" for his presence at the plate, was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.

3) Dolf Luque (1890)
Luque was born in Havana, Cuba, where he made his professional debut in 1912. The right-hander played two seasons (1914-15) with the Boston Braves and returned to the Majors in 1918 with the Reds. Luque, nicknamed The Pride of Havana, spent the bulk (12 years) of his career with Cincinnati. In 1923, Luque led the league with 27 wins, a 1.93 ERA and six shutouts.

4) Michael Soroka (1997)
Soroka has had a short career so far, made shorter by injuries. Since making his debut in 2018, the righty compiled a 2.86 ERA over 214 innings through 2021. In his first full year, Soroka went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA across 29 starts, earning his first All-Star nomination, finishing sixth in Cy Young voting and second for Rookie of the Year.

5) B.J. Surhoff (1964)
Surhoff spent the majority of his career with the Brewers (1987-95), but his best season came with Baltimore in '99. The left fielder played in all 162 games, leading the league with 673 at-bats. In this standout season, Surhoff had a .308 average with 28 homers and 107 RBIs, earning his one and only All-Star Game selection. Surhoff had a three-year stint with the Braves before returning to the Orioles, where he closed out his 19-year career in 2005.

Others of note:
John Farrell (1962)
Farrell makes the list not for his numbers as a player, but for his tenure as manager of the Red Sox. Though Farrell's time with Boston has been heavily critiqued, he helped guide the 2013 Red Sox to their third World Series title since breaking the club's drought in 2004. Farrell is the only manager in team history to skipper the Red Sox to back-to-back division titles.

Homer Blankenship (1902)
Fortunately, the right-hander had a name deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, his career did not. Blankenship played just 13 games in the Majors. His brother Ted, however, was a fixture in the White Sox bullpen from 1922-30.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Aug. 4? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.