The best baseball players born on March 19

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 19.

1) Clayton Kershaw (1988)
Kershaw has easily had the best career of anybody born on this date. The left-hander is a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 2014 after going 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA in 27 starts. Kershaw is the best left-handed starting pitcher of his generation, and arguably the best pitcher in Dodgers history. His next stop? Cooperstown.

2) Richie Ashburn (1927)
Speaking of Cooperstown, Ashburn is the only Hall of Famer born on this date – at least until Kershaw is inducted five years after his retirement. Ashburn is a six-time All-Star, doing most of his damage as a member of the Phillies. He only hit 29 career homers, but he finished with a batting average of .300 or better in nine of his 15 seasons.

3) David Ross (1977)
Ross is one of the most beloved backup catchers in Major League history, particularly during his time as a player with the Cubs, helping them snap a 108-year World Series drought. His baseball smarts helped him become the manager of the Cubs just three years after his retirement.

4) Mike Norris (1955)
Norris had a remarkable 1980 season, going 22-9 with a 2.53 ERA in 33 starts with the A’s. He, somehow, wasn’t named an All-Star that season, but he was able to get a taste of the Midsummer Classic in 1981. But after those two seasons, Norris was never able to replicate his production, spending the next five seasons in the Minors before making a brief comeback in ‘90.

5) Iván Calderon (1962)
Calderon began his career with the Mariners, but was able to find his footing as a member of the White Sox. The Puerto Rican outfielder hit 28 homers in his first season as a full-time player. He followed that up by hitting 14 homers in each of the next three seasons. Calderon made his first and only All-Star team in 1991 as a member of the Montreal Expos.

Others of note:
Gee Walker (1908)
Played for 14 seasons and helped the Tigers win the 1935 World Series. Walker hit 124 homers and stole 223 bases in his career. His 16.4 bWAR is the third-highest by anybody born on this date.

Jason LaRue (1974)
LaRue had a serviceable career as a member of the Reds, helping out its pitching staff for eight seasons. LaRue had good pop for a catcher, smacking 96 homers over his 12-year career.

Samuel 'Skyrocket' Smith (1868)
Smith only played 58 games in the big leagues with the Louisville Colonels, but his nickname has to be one of the best ever. But in all seriousness, Smith followed his baseball career by becoming a firefighter in St. Louis.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for March 19? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.