The best baseball players born on June 1

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 June 1:

1. Ted Breitenstein (1869)
Breitenstein enjoyed a notable 11-year career in the 1890s and into the 20th Century, but most of it was downhill after his first start. After making five relief appearances with the St. Louis Browns of the American Association in 1891, Breitenstein pitched a no-hitter against the Louisville Colonels on Oct. 4 in his first start. He tossed another no-no 6 1/2 years later, dominating the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 22, 1898. Breitenstein pitched 11 seasons with the Browns, Reds and Cardinals, and he led the league in complete games twice (46 in 1894, 47 in ‘95) while going the distance 301 times in his 342 career starts.

2. Carlos Zambrano (1981)
Zambrano was one of the top hurlers of the mid-2000s, winning at least 13 games in six consecutive seasons from ‘03-08. He was named to three All-Star teams during that stretch and also finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting three times from ‘04-07. Zambrano won three Silver Slugger Awards from ‘06-09, as the switch-hitter clubbed 24 homers and drove in 71 runs, while compiling a .238/.248/.388 slash line in his 12-year career. His career highlight came on Sept. 14, 2008, when he no-hit the Astros (the Cubs’ first no-no since Milt Pappas on Sept. 2, 1972) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, in a game that had been relocated due to Hurricane Ike. Zambrano made six consecutive Opening Day starts for the Cubs from 2005-10, when he posted a 125-81 record and a 3.60 ERA in 11 seasons.

3. Derek Lowe (1973)
Lowe did a little bit of everything over his 17-year career with the Mariners, Red Sox, Dodgers, Braves, Indians, Yankees and Rangers, but his eight seasons with Boston were punctuated by being one of the leaders of the pitching staff in 2004 when the Sox ended their 86-year-old curse. He went 3-0 in the 2004 postseason, including tossing seven scoreless innings in Game 4 in St. Louis on the night Boston clinched the World Series title. Prior to transitioning into a starter for the Red Sox in 2002 (including a no-hitter vs. the Devil Rays on April 27 that season), Lowe had been an All-Star closer, leading the American League with 42 saves in ‘00. He finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting in ‘02, when he went 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA as Boston’s No. 2 starter behind that year’s Cy Young runner-up, Pedro Martinez. Lowe signed with the Dodgers in free agency after the Red Sox’s Fall Classic triumph, and he went 85-70 with a 3.82 ERA over the next six seasons with Los Angeles and Atlanta, before struggling with the Braves in 2011 and then spending his final couple of seasons with Cleveland, New York and Texas.

4. Ken McMullen (1942)
McMullen was a solid contributor as a corner infielder for the Dodgers, Senators, Angels, A’s and Brewers over a 16-year career from 1962-77. He only topped a .400 slugging percentage six times and was a bit limited offensively, but he did receive votes for the American League MVP Award with the Halos in ‘72. What McMullen lacked in pop he made up for with his glove, though, as he led AL third basemen in total chances from ‘67-69 and set an AL record with 11 assists from the hot corner on Sept. 26, 1966. He was involved in a blockbuster trade on Nov. 28, 1972, as he and Andy Messersmith were dealt by the Angels to the Dodgers for Frank Robinson, Bill Singer, Billy Grabarkewitz, Bobby Valentine and Mike Strahler.

5. Dean Chance (1941)
Chance made his Major League debut at age 20 late in the Angels’ expansion season of 1961, and he enjoyed great success over his five full seasons in Anaheim, finishing third in the 1962 American League Rookie of the Year Award voting and then earning the Cy Young Award in ‘64, the youngest to win it at that time. Over a seven-season stretch from ‘62-68, he went 110-94 with a 2.72 ERA, and he finished his 11-year career with a 128-115 record and a 2.92 ERA over 406 games (294 starts).

Others of note

Hal Smith (1931)
Smith was a three-time All-Star catcher over his six full seasons with the Cardinals from 1956-61. His career was cut short due to a heart condition in June 1961 shortly after his 30th birthday, and he became the Cards' bullpen coach the following season. Smith also coached for the Pirates (1965–67), Reds ('68–69) and Brewers ('76–77), and he made a short-term comeback with the Bucs in '65 as a player/coach when Pittsburgh's other three catchers were all injured.

Randy Hundley (1942)
Hundley took the Majors by storm as a 24-year-old rookie in 1966, starting a rookie-record 149 games for the Cubs and hitting for the cycle on Aug. 11 vs. the Astros. He managed in the Cubs' farm system from 1979-81, leading Midland to the Western Division title in the Texas League in '79, and he has operated fantasy baseball camps since the early '80s. Hundley's son Todd was a Major League catcher with the Mets, Dodgers and Cubs for 15 years.

Jack Kralick (1935)
Kralick was a workhorse pitcher over his nine-year career with the Senators, Twins and Indians, posting a 67-65 record with a 3.56 ERA in 235 games (169 starts). His career highlight came when he no-hit the Kansas City A's on Aug. 26, 1962, at Metropolitan Stadium, carrying a perfect game into the ninth inning before issuing a walk with one out.

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