The best baseball players born on May 30

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 30.

1) Manny Ramirez (1972)
Don't be fooled by his goofy grin or bewildering antics: Ramirez was one of the best right-handed sluggers of his era and among the greatest players never to win an MVP. He retired with 555 home runs and a .312/.411/.585 slash line, leading the Majors in RBIs in 1999 (165) and winning a batting title in 2002 (.349). Ramirez was also as clutch as they come; he earned World Series MVP honors in 2004 as the Red Sox snapped an 86-year title drought, then led Boston to another title three years later. He also carried the Dodgers deep into the postseason in 2008, hitting .396 with 17 homers in 53 games after being traded by the Sox.

But that trade may not have been necessary without a series of head-scratching moments often shrugged off as "Manny being Manny," such as an intercepted throw from the outfield or mid-game trips inside the Green Monster. He was also suspended twice for violating the league's Joint Drug Policy, and instead of serving a 100-game suspension the second time, he called it a career.

2) Amos Rusie (1871)
Rusie threw so hard, catcher Dick Buckley tried to soften the trauma to his glove hand by sliding a layer of lead and a sponge into his mitt. Rusie's stuff was hard on hitters, too -- he led the Majors in strikeouts five times thanks to a fastball Connie Mack called the fastest pitch he'd seen "without a doubt." A 13-inning shutout was one of the Hall of Fame right-hander's 56 complete games in 1890, but his velocity came at a price. Rusie still holds the Major League record for walks allowed in a single season with 289, and he's also third, fourth and 10th on the same list. With just three outings left in his arm, Rusie was traded by the Giants to the Reds for a 20-year-old prospect named Christy Mathewson, another future Hall of Famer.

3) Zack Wheeler (1990)
Aside from Tommy John himself, it's hard to find a better example of the miracle of UCL surgery than Wheeler. The sixth pick in the 2009 Draft, Wheeler spent a season and a half in the Giants' farm system before being traded to the Mets for Carlos Beltran, a six-time All-Star at the time. Wheeler's surgery cost him the 2015 and '16 seasons, but he rebounded with three solid campaigns before signing a five-year, $118 million deal with the rival Phillies in December 2019. It all came together for the right-hander in 2021, when he placed second in NL Cy Young balloting thanks to a 2.78 ERA, two shutouts and a National League-best 247 strikeouts. He finished sixth in the voting in '23 and won his first Gold Glove.

4) Brett Phillips (1994)
Phillips owns the best laugh in the game and one of the most incredible postseason moments of the 21st century. With the Rays down to their last out against the Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series, Phillips stepped in against Kenley Jansen for his first career Fall Classic at-bat. A two-strike single up the middle brought home the tying run, and two errors later, the Rays had walked off with an 8-7 win that tied the Series at 2. L.A. would go on to win the next two games, but the highlight of Phillips' career was cemented.

5) Al Mamaux (1894)
Mamaux appeared on his way to baseball stardom in 1916 after his second straight 21-win season for the Pirates, but arm injuries and a thirst for night life derailed his trajectory. "The Golden Voice Tenor" did enjoy success as a vaudeville performer during the offseason, and he followed his Major League days as a standout for the International League's Newark Bears, whom he also managed.

Others of note:
Rube Oldring (1884)
The outfielder led the Philadelphia A’s to titles in 1911 and ‘13, but more impressively, he won a new Cadillac after being declared the most popular baseball player in the city in 1913.

Turk Lown (1924)
The righty reliever led the Majors in appearances with 67 in 1957, and he needed just three pitches to strike out Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams the first time he faced both.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for May 30? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.