The best baseball players born on June 3

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 3:

1) Travis Hafner (1977)
The best slugger to reach the Majors from the state of North Dakota, Hafner hit 250 doubles, 13 triples and 213 doubles to produce an astounding 134 OPS+ from 2002-13. At his peak from 2004-06 -- when he earned AL MVP Award votes in each season -- he trailed only Albert Pujols in OPS. Nicknamed “Pronk” as the merger of “The Project” (Bill Selby’s moniker for him) and “Donkey” (for his running style), Hafner played 10 of his 12 seasons in Cleveland, and he’s remained close to the club since his retirement.

2) Carl Everett (1971)
During his best years at the plate from 1998-2002, Everett hit .290 with 166, doubles, 18 triples and 132 home runs in 747 games, earning two All-Star selections. He contributed to the White Sox 2005 World Series title, hitting 4-for-9 and scoring a run. But controversies off the field and his on-field tirades overshadowed his strengths as a player.

3) Johnny Bassler (1895)
Bassler, who played catcher for the Cleveland Naps and the Detroit Tigers, earned Top 10 votes for the AL MVP Award in each season from 1922-24. He was rightly overshadowed by Hall of Famer Ty Cobb during his seven years in Detroit, but batting .308 in that span, he was still one of the best hitters under Cobb. In ‘23, Bassler caught a Major Leagues-best 60% of runners trying to steal a base.

4) Jim Gentile (1934)
“Diamond Jim” was a phenom at the plate in his first few full seasons as a Major Leaguer. From 1960-64 with the Orioles and Kansas City A’s, Gentile hit 152 home runs in 719 games to power a 141 OPS+. He finished third in AL MVP Award voting in ‘61 behind Yankees two legends in Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, one year after finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting in ‘60 behind teammate Ron Hansen. He was also beloved at his peak, being named to six All-Star Games while with Baltimore.

5) Harrison Bader (1994)
Bader won his first Gold Glove Award in 2021 with the Cardinals, and that number has the potential to grow with the outfielder's defensive prowess. The New York native hit .246 over parts of six seasons with St. Louis before being acquired by the Yankees in a trade during the 2022 season. Bader was acquired off waivers by the Reds in 2023, then inked a deal to join the Mets prior to the start of the '24 season.

Others of note:

Yordano Ventura (1991)
Ventura would have easily put his mark on this list, with a 3.89 ERA in four years with the Royals by age 25, but he tragically passed away in a car accident in 2017.

Barney Morris (1910)
Morris pitched to a 3.69 ERA in 11 seasons across five Negro Leagues teams. Most of his tenure came with the New York Cubans, with whom he won the 1947 World Series.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for June 3? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.