The best baseball players born on July 22

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 July 22.

1) Jesse Haines (1893)
Haines was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970 after an impressive 19-year career, 18 of those years spent with the Cardinals (a St. Louis record only matched by Adam Wainwright). Known for his knuckleball, Haines won two World Series titles in St. Louis and finished with 210 career wins and a 3.64 ERA. A 26-year-old rookie in 1920, Haines started off hot and led the NL in appearances (47) while going 13-20 and recording a 2.98 ERA. After the Cardinals’ 1926 championship season, Haines posted the best season of his career with a 24-10 record, a 2.72 ERA and an NL-leading 25 complete games and six shutouts.

2) Dave Stieb (1957)
One of the best Draft picks and pitchers in Blue Jays history, Stieb’s contributions league-wide tend to be underrated. The right-hander was responsible for the sole no-hitter in Toronto history on Sept. 2, 1990, when he kept Cleveland off the board for a 3-0 win. Stieb spent 16 years in the Majors, including his 1998 comeback season after four years in retirement. A seven-time All-Star, Stieb was the 1982 AL Pitcher of the Year and in 1985 he won the AL ERA Title (2.48). Oh, and Stieb finished among the top 10 AL Cy Young Award vote-getters four times (1982, ‘84, ‘85 and ‘90).

3) Jack Glasscock (1857)
Thought to be the best shortstop of the 19th Century, Glasscock finished six of his 17 seasons in the NL with the most assists as a shortstop and his career defensive WAR (22.3) ranks 36th. Glasscock succeeded at the plate too, and he won the 1890 NL Batting Title with a .336 average in his 12th season in Majors. (He had led the Majors in hits (205) the year prior but with a .352 average he finished second to Dan Brouthers (.373) for the NL Batting Title.)

4) Mike Sweeney (1973)
A five-time All-Star, Sweeney was the 2005 MLB Players Choice Man of the Year and the 2007 Hutch Award recipient. Sweeney spent the majority of his career with the Royals, racking up 1,540 hits, 2,520 total bases and 909 RBIs. The first baseman hit over .320 three times in his career: 2002 (.340), 2000 (.333) and 1999 (.322). He also hammered 20-plus homers in six seasons (all with Kansas City). After his playing career was over, Sweeney joined the Royals front office as special assistant to baseball operations, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Royals’ Hall of Fame.

5) Scott Sanderson (1956)
Remembered for both his contributions to the game of baseball and to players rights, Sanderson left an indelible mark on the sport. The right-hander, who amassed a 163-143 career record and threw 14 shutouts and 43 complete games, made his only All-Star team in 1991, the year after he helped the Athletics reach the World Series (though they lost to the Reds). As his career was winding down, Sanderson’s veteran voice was crucial during player meetings amid the 1994-95 strike, and after his playing days were over he spent time as an agent.

Other notable players:
Doc Cramer (1905)
A five-time All-Star, Cramer helped the Tigers to win the World Series in 1945, slashing .379/.419/.379 over the seven-game series.

Terris McDuffie (1908)
McDuffie pitched in the Negro Leagues for 11 years, making three All-Star teams and leading the NN2 in win percentage in 1941 (.750). He was also one of two Black players who tried out for the Dodgers prior to Jackie Robinson.

Sparky Lyle (1944)
A three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champ and the 1977 AL Cy Young Award winner, Lyle not only contributed on the field, but he was also partially responsible for the emergence of entrance music for closers.

Cliff Johnson (1947)
Johnson won the World Series twice in his 15-year career: in 1977 and ‘78 with the Yankees.

Ryan Vogelsong (1977)
Vogelsong and the Giants won the World Series in 2012, when the right-hander recorded a 1.09 ERA in four postseason starts, the first of two championships Vogelsong won in San Francisco. The right-hander also won San Francisco’s Willie McCovey Award in 2011, the same year as his only All-Star honor, after he pitched a 2.71 ERA over 28 starts and 179 2/3 innings.

Jose Siri (1995)
Siri made history in 2021, when he became the first player since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920 to have at least two homers and five RBIs in his first start, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Making his first start in his sixth game since debuting on Sept. 3, Siri went 4-for-5.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for July 22? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.