The best baseball players born on May 22

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 22.

1) Al Simmons (1902)
Nicknamed “Bucketfoot Al” for his unorthodox batting stance, Simmons was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953 after a storied 20-year career. The outfielder helped lead the Philadelphia Athletics to World Series championships in 1929 and 1930, and he won batting titles in ‘30 (.381) and ‘31 (.390). Simmons led Major League batters with 1,796 hits and 343 doubles from 1924-32, and was a part of the historic first All-Star Game in 1933 -- the first of his three consecutive All-Star honors. Simmons finished his career with a .334 batting average, 2,927 hits, 1,827 RBIs and 307 homers.

2) Tommy John (1943)
Best known for the surgery named after him, John left his mark on the game and future of baseball. John’s 288-231 record over his 26-year career was only made possible by the revolutionary surgery that repaired his ulnar collateral ligament in 1974 to prolong his career and the careers of so many after him. The southpaw was a four-time All-Star (1968, 1978-’80), and in 1981 was named the Lou Gehrig Award recipient. Though he did not win a World Series championship, John threw a 2.65 ERA and had 48 strikeouts in 88 1/3 postseason innings.

3) Jim Colborn (1946)
Colborn spent the majority of his 10-year career with the Brewers, but that didn’t stop the right-hander from having a lasting impact on other organizations. During his season and a half in Kansas City, Colborn threw the first no-hitter of the 1977 season, shutting out the Rangers 6-0 on May 14; it was the first Royals no-no in almost three years. And, during his time with the Brewers, the All-Star recorded 13 scoreless innings against the Orioles on Sept. 27, 1974, (though Baltimore ended up scoring in the bottom of the 17th inning to win, 1-0).

4) Jose Mesa (1966)
A dominant reliever at times, Mesa’s career had its ups and downs. With Cleveland, Mesa was responsible for blowing a save in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, giving Miami the win. (Years later, Mesa was called out by LeBron James after the Cavaliers won the NBA championship.) But Mesa’s career was more than just his blown saves. A two-time All-Star, Mesa led the Majors in saves (46) and games finished (57) in 1995, just a small fraction of his 321 career saves and enough to finish second in AL Cy Young Award voting. Mesa was also named the 1995 AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year.

5) Corey Dickerson (1989)
Dickerson made the All-Star team once (2017) and earned an NL Gold Glove (2018) during his 11 years in the big leagues. A left-handed-hitter, Dickerson provides power against righties and was referred to as a “gamer” by Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo in 2021. The outfielder ranked No. 1 in the NL in 2018 for most double plays turned as an outfielder (five) and as a left fielder (also five).

Other notable players:
Ed Morgan (1904)
Morgan hit half of his 52 career home runs in 1930 with Cleveland, batting in 136 runs that season and hitting .349 (with a 1.014 OPS).

Frankie Austin (1917)
Austin played in the Negro National League for five years, all with the Philadelphia Stars. He appeared in six All-Star games during that period and led the league in hits in 1945 (77) and 1946 (81). He slashed .344/.409/.436 from 1944-48, including three home runs and 135 RBIs.

Eric Sogard (1986)
Sogard established himself as a utility man early in his career, consistently playing multiple infield positions. In 2021, Sogard took turns at first base, second base, third base, shortstop and pitcher (for 4 1/3 innings).

Julian Tavarez (1973)
Tavarez is best known for his special brand of baseball, which led to a handful of bench-clearing brawls and saw him record 96 hit-by-pitches in his 17-year career.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for May 22? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.