The best baseball players born on Oct. 8

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 Oct. 8.

1) Enos Cabell (1949)
Originally signed by the Baltimore Orioles, Cabell’s career flourished with the Houston Astros. With Orioles franchise icons Boog Powell and Brooks Robinson blocking Cabell, he was traded to the Astros in 1974, and by 1976 he was their regular third baseman. He stole over 30 bases a season from 1976-79 and totaled 238 steals in his 15-year Major League career. His best season came in 1977, when he hit .282 with 16 home runs and 42 stolen bases. Cabell helped the Astros reach the NLCS in 1980 but was traded to the San Francisco Giants after the season. He also played for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers before retiring after the 1986 season.

2) Donie Bush (1887)
“Donie” was a nickname for Owen Joseph Bush, who played 16 seasons, the majority with the Detroit Tigers. Compiling a 39.3 career WAR, Bush was an outstanding defensive shortstop and anchored the leadoff spot for the Tigers. He had a great eye at the plate, leading the AL in walks five times and after he got on base he stole more than 30 bases eight times during his career. On the defensive side, he was consistently among the league leaders in all fielding categories. In just his second season in the Majors, he helped the Tigers repeat as AL champions and he batted .318 in the World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

3) Wally Moses (1910)
Moses began his 17-year Major League career by hitting over .300 in his first seven seasons. He led the American League in doubles (1945) and triples (1943) and had a pair of 200-hit seasons in 1936 and 1937. He played 10 seasons with the Philadelphia A’s and also spent time with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. Moses reached double figures in home runs just once, when he hit 25 in an incredible 712 plate appearances in 1937. He finished his career as a .291 hitter with 36.5 WAR.

4) Paul Splittorff (1946)
“Splitt” was known for his high leg kick and during the Kansas City Royals’ glory days of the late 1970s when they faced the New York Yankees every year in the ALCS, he was known as the “Yankee Killer” for his success against the heated postseason rival. Splittorff spent his entire 15-year playing career with the Royals but was associated with the organization for 40 years, as he served as the TV commentator on Royals telecasts from 1988 until his untimely death from cancer at age 64 in 2011. Splittorff is the Royals' career leader in wins (166), starts (392) and innings pitched (2,554 2/3).

5) Mike Morgan (1959)
Morgan played in four different decades and for 12 different franchises during his long 22-year Major League career. He surpassed 200 innings pitched six times during his career and he won a World Series ring with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. Morgan has a career 26.2 WAR, but was hurt by pitching the majority of his career for poor teams. His ability to stay in the Majors for 22 seasons speaks more to his talent than to his pitching record. He recorded at least one win with 11 different clubs, a mark he shares with Bartolo Colon, LaTroy Hawkins, Ron Villone and Edwin Jackson.

Others of note:
Danny Murtaugh (1917)
After playing parts of nine seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves in the National League, Murtaugh achieved his greatest success as a manager. During a 15-season managerial career, he guided the Pirates to two World Series championships in 1960 and 1971 – both of those clubs were led by the legendary Roberto Clemente. He won Manager of the Year in both 1960 and 1970. His trademark was using a rocking chair during his press briefings.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Oct. 8? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.