The best baseball players born on Sept. 28

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 Sept. 28.

1) Ryan Zimmerman (1984)
Zimmerman was the franchise's first Draft pick after relocating to Washington D.C. and becoming the Nationals, chosen fourth overall in 2005. After 16 seasons in the capital, he leads the franchise all time in games played (1,799), at-bats (6,654), runs (963), hits (1,846), total bases (3,159), doubles (417), home runs (284) and RBIs (1,061).

He was the runner-up for 2006 Rookie of the Year, coming short by just four points to Hanley Ramirez. A two-time All-Star, Gold Glove Award winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Zimmerman also received MVP votes in four seasons.

2) Eddie Rosario (1991)
With offensive output that included 13 homers, 18 doubles and a Major League-leading 15 triples, Rosario was sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015. He received MVP votes in 2019 and 2020 while still with the Twins, and in 2021 won a World Series with the Braves after a Trade Deadline deal. He took home NLCS MVP honors during that championship run.

In his first game in the Majors, he hit a home run on the first pitch he saw. In 2021, he hit for his first career cycle, becoming the first Puerto Rican player to do so. He accomplished the four hits on just five total pitches.

3) Jack Fournier (1889)
A prominent hitter who knocked 136 home runs in his 15-season career (1912-18, 1920-27), Fournier led the AL in slugging percentage with a .491 mark in 1915 while with the White Sox, and then led the NL in home runs in 1924 with 27 while playing for the Brooklyn Robins. He had a .483 career slugging mark as well as a .313 batting average to go along with his homers.

However, on the other side of the field he had a more ignominious reputation. Defensively, he committed 208 errors -- leading NL first basemen in errors in two seasons -- and had a .984 fielding percentage. The historical record is littered with comments about his shortfalls with the glove, which proves what his offensive skills brought to the table considering how long he remained a regular in the league.

4) Grant Jackson (1942)
A journeyman left-hander and switch-hitter, Jackson spent time with six teams over an 18-year career. After spending a decade with the Phillies and Orioles, he was traded to the Yankees in 1976 and then almost immediately left exposed for that year's expansion draft in the offseason. Selected by the Mariners, he never appeared in a game for Seattle and was traded to the Pirates, where he spent much of the remainder of his career and with whom he won a World Series in 1979.

5) Manuel Margot (1994)
Nine seasons into his career, he has played for the Padres, Rays and Twins after coming up through the Red Sox system. Margot hit his first two Major League homers in the same game, in 2017 against the Giants.

Also of note:
Riley Greene (2000)
The Tigers selected Greene with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. The outfielder made his Major League debut in 2022, before being selected as an All-Star in '24.

Alexis Díaz (1996)
After making his big league debut in 2022, Díaz earned an All-Star selection in '23 while leading the Reds in saves. His older brother, Edwin, is also an All-Star closer, having spent time with the Mariners before being acquired by the Mets.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Sept. 28? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.