The best baseball players born on May 18

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 May 18.

1) Reggie Jackson (1946)
A larger-than-life superstar, Jackson thrived in the spotlight during a 21-year career in which he hit 563 homers and made 14 All-Star teams. The slugger earned World Series MVP honors twice and won five championships, acquiring the nickname “Mr. October” for his postseason heroics. Jackson broke in with the Athletics in 1967 and helped the club win three straight World Series titles from 1972-74, pulling off the rare feat of winning an MVP Award in both the regular season and World Series in 1973. His star grew even brighter when he signed a free-agent contract with the Yankees, joining one of the marquee franchises in all of sports. Although he clashed with manager Billy Martin and Yankees captain Thurman Munson, Jackson lived up to expectations on the field, leading the Bronx Bombers to World Series victories in each of his first two years with the team. He cemented his October legacy in Game 6 of the 1977 Fall Classic, slugging three homers against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.

2) Brooks Robinson (1937)
Regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Robinson spent his entire 23-year career manning the hot corner with the Orioles. Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1960-75, tying him with Jim Kaat for the second-longest streak in history behind Greg Maddux (18). He was capable with the bat, too, collecting 2,848 hits and swatting 268 homers in his career. Robinson took home the AL MVP Award in 1964 and helped Baltimore win World Series titles in 1966 and 1970. He batted .485 with two homers, eight RBIs and a 1.258 OPS over eight games in the 1970 postseason and was named MVP of the Fall Classic after the O’s knocked off the Reds in five games.

3) Babe Adams (1882)
Adams’ lifetime 1.29 BB/9 is among the lowest in the modern era (since 1900). On July 17, 1914, the right-hander threw 21 innings for the Pirates against the New York Giants without walking a batter, still the longest walkless outing on record in AL/NL history.

4) Jim Sundberg (1951)
Sundberg was one of the top defensive catchers of his era, winning six consecutive Gold Glove Awards with the Rangers from 1976-81. Among backstops, only Ivan Rodriguez (13), Johnny Bench (10), Yadier Molina (9) and Bob Boone (7) have more Gold Glove Awards than Sundberg. Although he spent the majority of his career with Texas, Sundberg also holds a special place in Royals history for his contributions to the team’s 1985 World Series championship. After driving in four runs in Game 7 of the 1985 AL Championship Series against the Blue Jays, Sundberg scored the walk-off run in Game 6 of the World Series against the Cardinals, sliding under catcher Darrell Porter’s tag to cap off a ninth-inning rally that was started when umpire Don Denkinger infamously blew a call at first base.

5) Joakim Soria (1984)
Soria retired after the 2021 season, finishing his career with 229 saves and a 3.11 ERA. The right-hander spent seven seasons with the Royals, who acquired him from the Padres in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft, and ranks third in team history in saves (162) behind Jeff Montgomery (304) and Dan Quisenberry (238).

Other notables:

Marcus Giles (1978)
He wasn’t as successful as his brother, Brian, but Giles had a solid career that included a 7.9-WAR season in 2003 -- tied for the eighth-highest wins above replacement total by a second baseman this century.

Jack Sanford (1929)
Sanford won the 1957 NL Rookie of the Year Award and finished second behind Don Drysdale in the 1962 NL Cy Young Award voting.

Eric Young Sr. (1967)
Young spent 15 years in the Majors, playing for seven teams and hitting .283 with 465 stolen bases, including an NL-leading 53 steals in 1996. As a coach, he won a World Series title with the Braves in 2021. His son, Eric Young Jr., also played in MLB.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for May 18? Find the complete list on Baseball-Reference.