The best baseball players born on Nov. 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 Nov. 19.

1) Roy Campanella (1921)
Campanella, one of the earliest Black players to reach the Major Leagues as defined at the time and the second Black player to an AL/NL MVP Award, was one of the best catchers in the history of the game. Joining Jackie Robinson’s Dodgers in 1948, “Campy” had an .826 OPS with 242 homers in 10 years after playing nine seasons in the Negro Leagues. In Brooklyn’s 1955 World Series victory over the crosstown Yankees, Campanella’s five extra-base hits were tied with teammate and Hall of Famer Duke Snider for the most in the series. An 11-time All-Star, three-time NL MVP Award winner and a Hall of Famer, he will never be forgotten.

2) Ryan Howard (1979)
Howard could flat-out mash the baseball. The Phillies’ fifth-round pick in the 2001 MLB Draft is still the quickest player to reach 100 homers (325 games) and 200 homers (658), and he led the league in home runs in his NL MVP Award-winning 2006 season (58) and his World Series title-winning ‘08 season (42). Being a first baseman with 119 errors in 1,477 games hurt his overall bWAR total (14.7), but his offensive peaks were too sharp to ignore.

3) Bob Boone (1947)
Boone’s offense kept him from being a catcher on the level of Campanella, but his defensive spoils allowed him to have a 19-year MLB tenure. His 25.8 defensive bWAR far outpaced his 16.4 offensive bWAR, and that value was recognized through seven Gold Glove Awards. But weirdly enough, in the biggest series of Boone’s career, he hit and hit: The backstop went 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles and four walks in the Phillies’ World Series victory over the Royals in 1980. He also earned third place in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting in ‘73 and four All-Star Game selections.

4) Joey Gallo (1993)
Gallo is a unicorn of the sport. He is the only player to reach 100 homers before he hit 100 singles. In 2021, he led the American League in walks with 111 while also leading the Majors with 213 strikeouts, and he hit .199 while still managing a 121 OPS+. Needless to say, Gallo can change the game with the swing of a bat, but at the price of a few strikeouts. He can hold his own in the outfield, too, with two Gold Glove Awards to his name.

5) Roosevelt Davis (1904)
Davis’ pitching stats fluctuated throughout his career, but he ended his incredible 20-year tenure in the Negro Leagues by earning the ERA title with a 1.65 ERA in 32 2/3 innings. “Duro” journeyed his baseball career across 13 teams, with his longest stop being eight years with the St. Louis Stars, with whom he began his career. Davis wrapped up his playing days with a 4.09 ERA and a .609 winning percentage.

Others of note:

Everett Scott (1892)
Scott couldn't hit very consistently, but he was one of the early greats at shortstop defensively. His 21.8 career dWAR ranks 38th in MLB history and helped him earned MVP Award votes twice -- once with the Red Sox and once with the Yankees.

Justin Duchscherer (1977)
It's a shame that injuries led to Duchscherer's retirement at age 32, because he was one of the most reliable middle relievers when he was at his best, including a stretch from 2004-08 when he posted a 2.80 ERA in 210 games and was twice an All-Star.

Francisco Alvarez (2001)
MLB Pipeline ranked the catcher as the top prospect in the game before he was called up to the Majors by the Mets in Sept. of 2022. Alvarez hit 25 homers in 2023, before helping New York to the NLCS in '24.

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