The best baseball players born on March 5

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 5:

1) Paul Konerko (1976)
They don’t build statues for just anybody. Konerko’s legacy on the South Side is forever cemented at Guaranteed Rate Field, a bronze re-creation of his raised-fist celebration after his grand slam in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. It’s a fitting tribute for Konerko -- “Paulie” if you’re a die-hard -- who was the ALCS MVP that year and finished an 18-season career (16 in Chicago) with 439 homers, 1,412 RBIs, six All-Star nods, a retired No. 14 and one life-size monument.

2) Sam Thompson (1860)
“Big Sam,” inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1974, was an RBI machine, one of the game’s premier sluggers of his time. In his 15-year career, the left-handed hitter drove in 100 or more runs eight times -- including a career-high 166 in 1887 -- and scored more than 100 runs in 10 seasons. He was the first left-handed hitter to reach 20 homers and the game's first player with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in a season (1889).

3) Bo Bichette (1998)
A star with favorable genes, Bichette broke out in 2021, leading the AL with 191 hits while slugging 29 homers and stealing 25 bases, helping him earn down-ballot MVP votes (12th place). The son of former MLB slugger Dante, the younger Bichette became an All-Star in ‘21 for the first time, and that’s to say nothing of his much-discussed flowing locks. Bat flip or hair flip, Bo’s got flow. Bichette led the AL in hits for a second straight year in 2022, and was an All-Star for the second time in his career in '23.

4) Del Crandall (1930)
An 11-time NL All-Star catcher, Crandall was a central figure in Milwaukee Braves/Brewers history. He caught more than 2,400 innings of Warren Spahn’s Hall of Fame career and helped the Milwaukee Braves win the 1957 World Series. He managed the Brewers for four seasons, including 1975, when the club signed Hank Aaron, one of Crandall’s longtime teammates. One more Hall of Fame link? Crandall was the manager in 1974, when he inserted a mostly untested 18-year-old named Robin Yount at shortstop on Opening Day.

5) Kent Tekulve (1947)
Tekulve was the definition of a workhorse reliever, even if he didn’t exactly look the part. Think high school physics teacher: gangly limbs and darkened specs (the Pirates’ pillbox hats didn’t do him any favors either). But the unorthodox sidearmer was incredibly durable, rightfully earning the nickname “The Rubber Band Man.” He led the NL four times in relief appearances, and at the time of his retirement in 1989, he held the MLB record for relief appearances with 1,050.

Others of note:

Kyle Schwarber (1993)
Blessed with big-time power, Schwarber was a key cog in the Cubs' 2016 World Series team, staging an unforgettable return from a severe left knee injury to hit .412 in the Fall Classic. He was called "a Cubs legend" by Jed Hoyer, the team's president of baseball operations, after he was non-tendered in 2020. After spending '21 with the Nationals and Red Sox, he inked a four-year deal with Philadelphia in '22. Schwarber led the NL with 46 homers and helped the Phillies win the NL pennant in his first season with the club. The two-time All-Star then clubbed 47 homers for the Phils in '23.

Elmer Valo (1921)
The Slovakia native broke into the bigs at 19 years old with the Philadelphia Athletics and played 20 seasons, losing two years (1944-45) to military service. The outfielder finished his career with a healthy .398 on-base percentage.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for March 5? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.