The best baseball players born on June 29

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 29.

1) Harmon Killebrew (1936)
Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 (one of two inductees born on June 29), Killebrew was one of the best hitters of his -- or any -- era. A 13-time All-Star who won the AL MVP in 1969, he led the AL in homers six times, finishing his career with 573 long balls. A fearsome hitter nicknamed "Killer," the right-handed slugger was known to be soft-spoken and kind off the field -- once, when asked what he liked to do in his free time, Killebrew supposed that he liked to wash the dishes.

At one time rumored to be the inspiration for the hitter depicted on the MLB logo, Killebrew crushed homers like few others, once hitting a shot at Metropolitan Stadium measured at 520 feet, which is still considered the longest in Twins history. After his playing days, Killebrew worked as a broadcaster for the Twins, A's and Angels and also served as a hitting instructor for Oakland.

2) Wilbert Robinson (1864)
Known more for his post-playing career -- though his seven hits in a nine-inning game on June 10, 1892, is still tied for the AL/NL record and, despite being a catcher, he leads all players born on June 29 with 196 stolen bases -- Robinson was a manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1914-31. His feud with former teammate -- and New York Giants manager -- John McGraw fueled the intra-city rivalry, with Robinson leading the Brooklyn squad to two NL pennants. So revered that the club was casually referred to as the "Robins," Robinson also served as president of the club for a few years after legendary owner Charles Ebbets passed away in 1925.

But one of Robinson's most memorable escapades occurred not during a game, but during a Spring Training stunt in 1915. Taking on the challenge of catching a baseball from a plane, Robinson instead got under a grapefruit, which exploded when it hit his glove. The Brooklyn manager, knocked to the ground and covered in grapefruit juice, thought he was seriously injured, until his players gathered around laughing at the turn of events.

Robinson was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager in 1945.

3) Dizzy Trout (1915)
A two-time All-Star who led the American League in victories in 1943, Paul Howard "Dizzy" Trout pitched 15 seasons in the big leagues, mostly with the Tigers. He had his best years during World War II, nearly winning the AL MVP in 1944 and winning a World Series championship with Detroit in 1945. For a pitcher, he was a stellar hitter, batting .213 over his career with 20 homers -- tied for 12th most by a pitcher all time.

Trout was tied to many a tall tale, most impossible to verify -- he supposedly asked Ted Williams to sign a ball after striking him out -- and he allegedly gave himself the nickname "Dizzy" because he wanted to be as famous as eventual Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean.

After his playing days, Trout briefly worked as a broadcaster for the Tigers, then in the front office of the White Sox. He and his wife, Pearl, had 10 children, and his son Steve followed in his dad's footsteps, playing 12 years in the Majors as a left-handed pitcher.

4) Pedro Guerrero (1956)
A five-time All-Star, Guerrero was an imposing presence at the plate who powered the Dodgers squads of the early 1980s. The right-handed slugger burst onto the L.A. scene in 1981, winning a ring as a rookie while earning the World Series MVP after driving in six runs in the Dodgers' title-clinching Game 6. Guerrero went on to play 15 seasons in the Majors, finishing in the top five of NL MVP voting four times and sporting a career .300 batting average.

5) Rick Honeycutt (1954)
A two-time All-Star over his 21-year big league career, Rick Honeycutt evolved from a innings-eating lefty starter who led the AL in ERA in 1983 to a reliever who became a key bullpen piece for the juggernaut A's of the late '80s and early '90s, winning a World Series ring with Oakland in 1989. He played his final season in St. Louis at age 43 as the oldest player in the National League, and as of his 69th birthday, Honeycutt ranked 55th all time in appearances among pitchers.

After his playing days were over, he got into coaching, working as the Dodgers pitching coach from 2006-2019.

Others of note

Gunnar Henderson (2001)
After making his Major League debut in 2022, the highly touted shortstop won the '23 AL Rookie of the Year Award while helping the Orioles to 101 wins and an AL East championship.

Bobby Veach (1888)
One of the best players not in the Hall of Fame, Veach, who was a one-time teammate of Ty Cobb on the Tigers in the early 20th century, hit .310 over his 14-year big league career, leading the American League in RBIs three times and doubles twice.

Burgess Whitehead (1910)
A two-time All-Star and a member of the famed Gashouse Gang Cardinals of the 1930s, Whitehead won a World Series championship with St. Louis in 1934. He hit 17 career homers over his nine seasons in the Majors -- all of them hit at the Polo Grounds, a record for most career homers hit at only one ballpark.

Frank Schwindel (1992)
The longtime Minor Leaguer got his first full-time chance as a 29-year-old after being traded to the Cubs midseason in 2021. Getting starts at first base after the Trade Deadline, Schwindel didn't waste his shot, hitting .342 with 13 homers over 56 games with Chicago on his way to a sixth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for June 29? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.