The best baseball players born on Aug. 8

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 Aug. 8.

1) Jose Cruz (1947)
A native of Puerto Rico, Cruz spent 13 of his 19 seasons in Houston, where he was a fan favorite and helped lead the team to its first postseason appearance in 1980. He was an All-Star and finished third in NL MVP voting that season. When he retired, he was among the franchise's all-time leaders in every significant offensive category, an impressive feat playing in the spacious Astrodome. The Astros retired his No. 25 in 1992.

2) Frank Howard (1936)
“Hondo.” “The Capital Punisher.” “Gentle Giant.” Howard answered to all those nicknames, and with good reason. At 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, the four-time All-Star was a mountain of a man -- his 382 career homers are a testament to it. The NL Rookie of the Year for the Dodgers in 1960, Howard was traded to the Washington Senators in ’64 and become one of the most feared sluggers of his time. During one historic stretch in May 1968, Howard hit 10 homers in 20 at-bats. Just how memorable were his titanic blasts? The club painted three upper-deck seats at RFK Stadium white to mark where the ball landed. There’s even a Bunyanesque tale of a 600-foot homer in Seattle. That’s the stuff of legends.

3) Anthony Rizzo (1989)
Aug. 8 is a memorable day for the Cubs. In 1988, the lights at Wrigley Field were turned on for the first time. A year later, Rizzo was born, the first baseman who became the heart of the Cubs’ core and, fittingly, caught the final out in Game 7 of their 2016 World Series victory to end a 108-year title drought. He was a fan favorite on the field -- five postseason trips in six seasons will do that -- and off for his charitable endeavors to help support families dealing with pediatric cancer.

4) Cupid Childs (1867)
In reference to his burly stature, “Cupid” was the kindest of the nicknames given to Clarence Lemuel Childs. But there was no love lost with opposing pitchers for Cupid, who established himself as an outstanding offensive second baseman in the 19th century, playing eight seasons with the Cleveland Spiders. Per SABR, Childs’ career on-base percentage of .416 is higher than every second baseman in the Hall of Fame except Rogers Hornsby and Eddie Collins.

5) Ken Raffensberger (1917)
You know what they say: If it weren't for bad luck, Ken Raffensberger would have no luck at all. Dubbed one of the "unluckiest" pitchers by Bill James, the left-handed Raffensberger went 119-154 in his 15-year career, never playing for a winning team (except for his one-game rookie season). Still, with pinpoint control, he racked up 31 WAR, finishing his career with a 3.60 ERA in 2,151 2/3 innings. He even earned down-ballot MVP votes in 1949, 1951 and 1952 with the Reds. In 1944 with Philadelphia, he won 13 games against a Major League-leading 20 losses and yet was credited with a win in the All-Star Game. Go figure.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Aug. 8? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.