Best baseball players born on New Year's

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 January 1, New Year's Day:

1) Hank Greenberg (1911)
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956, Hammerin’ Hank was a two-time MVP, two-time World Series winner and five-time All-Star, all despite missing out on three of his prime seasons due to his service in World War II. Greenberg was the first player to win MVP at two different positions (first base in 1935 and left field in 1940). In 1938, Greenberg became a household name during his frenzied chase for Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record of 60. At 58 entering the final game of the season, Greenberg hit one off the fence but got no further, and the game was ultimately called in the 7th inning due to darkness.

2) Tim Keefe (1857)
A Triple Crown winner and one of two Hall of Famers born on this date, “Sir Timothy” is perhaps best known for winning 19 consecutive games in 1888, a record at the time. A more unheralded fact about Keefe, however, is that legend has it he was the inspiration for the pitcher in the famous poem, “Casey at the Bat,” which was based on an at-bat by pitcher Dan Casey against Keefe in 1887, according to SABR research. Or, at least that’s one iteration of who the real Casey was, and there are many.

3) Dallas Keuchel (1988)
A 20-game winner and 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, Keuchel emerged as one of the league’s more formidable southpaws with the Astros. He won a World Series with Houston in 2017, making two starts in the Fall Classic against the Dodgers. He’s also a five-time Gold Glove Award winner on the mound and won three straight from 2014-16.

4) Fernando Tatis (1975)
The elder Tatis earns this spot for two big reasons. Reason Number One: He gave us one of the best baseball players on the planet. Reason Number Two: He did something that quite possibly will never be equaled in baseball history, and that is hitting two grand slams in one inning. So thank you, Fernando Tatis Sr.; we are forever grateful.

5) LaMonte Wade Jr. (1994)
Wade emerged onto the Major League scene with the Giants in 2021, when he became known for his penchant for late-game heroics, earning the title “Late-Night Lamonte.” He even received some down-ballot MVP votes for a season in which he hit .253/.326/.482 with a 117 OPS+.

Others of note:

Bumpus Jones (1870)
He makes this list because of an amazing name and one obscure fact: He began his Major League career by throwing a no-hitter. His career didn’t last a whole lot longer than that, though, making only six more starts, perhaps due to the change in mound distance and a beanball he took somewhere around 1893, according to SABR.

LaMarr Hoyt (1955)
The right-hander, who spent six of his eight Major League seasons with the White Sox, won an AL Cy Young Award in 1983 and was an All-Star with the Padres in 1985.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Jan. 1? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.