The best baseball players born on March 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 March 1.

1) Paul Hines (1855)
Hines is the lone player born on March 1 with a WAR of more than 25, nearly lapping the rest of the field with a career 44.9 mark. He broke in with the National Association's Washington Nationals as a 17-year-old way back in 1872 and went on to play 20 seasons with 10 teams. He was the National League batting champ in 1878 and '79, and took home the NL Triple Crown in '78 with a .358 average and a whopping four homers and 50 RBIs in 85 games.

2) Johnny Ray (1957)
One of only five players born on March 1 to be named to an All-Star team, Ray finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year Award voting as a second baseman with the Pirates in 1982. Ray led the NL in doubles in back-to-back seasons in '83-84, notching a Silver Slugger Award in '83. After being dealt to the Angels from Pittsburgh in '87, Ray made his lone All-Star team with the American League a year later.

3) Michael Conforto (1993)
The highest-ranking current player on our list, the former first-round pick of the Mets in 2014 could move to the top of the WAR leaders for March 1 by the time he hangs up his spikes if he can remain healthy. A National League All-Star with New York in '17, the outfielder was named to the All-MLB second team in 2020 after posting a .927 OPS.

4) Trevor Cahill (1988)
The top-ranked pitcher on our list, Cahill posted double-digit wins in each of his first four big league seasons from 2009-12, and he was named to the American League All-Star Team in 2010 and finished ninth in the Cy Young Award voting after going 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 30 starts.

5) Hank Wyse (1918)
Wyse won 79 games in an eight-year career that ended in 1951, with his best season coming in '45, when he went 22-10 with a 2.68 ERA with the Cubs and finished seventh in the National League MVP Award voting.