The best baseball players born on April 6
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 April 6:
1) Bert Blyleven (1951)
The Hall of Fame pitcher was worth 94.5 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference, making him far and away the most valuable player born that day. One of just 12 all-time big leaguers who was born in the Netherlands, he is the country’s only representative in Cooperstown. Over a 22-year career full of memorable moments, Blyleven was best known for his 11 seasons with the Twins, with whom he helped win a World Series title in 1987. The big righty racked up a career 287 wins and compiled a 3.31 ERA over a whopping 4,970 innings, which rank 14th-most all-time. Blyleven pitched five times on his birthday -- with Cleveland, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and the Angels -- and his most notable among those was in 1973, when he went the distance for one of his 242 career complete games.
2) Mickey Cochrane (1903)
A Hall of Famer known as arguably the greatest catcher of his era, Cochrane was a two-time American League MVP Award winner -- in 1928 with the A’s and in ’34 with the Tigers -- over a 13-year career that included two All-Star appearances after the Midsummer Classic’s inaugural event in ’33. He was also a three-time World Series winner, including Detroit’s elusive and first title in ’35, doing so as a player-manager. A career .320/.419/.478 (.897 OPS) hitter, Cochrane was even more respected by his peers for his defense. For his career, he was worth 49.9 WAR. Because the regular season began later during Cochrane’s era, in mid-April, he never got the chance to play on his birthday.
3) Ernie Lombardi (1908)
A 10-time .300 hitter who won the National League batting title twice, Lombardi was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 1986, well after his death in ’77. Known for his raw power and strength, the longtime Reds catcher was a career .306/.358/.460 (.818 OPS) hitter with 190 homers over 17 seasons, which also included stints with the Giants, Dodgers and Braves, all before those respective teams relocated. His best season came in ’38 with Cincinnati, when he won the NL MVP Award, but the eight-time All-Star also helped the club win its second ever World Series title in ’40. Because the regular season began later during Cochrane’s era, in mid-April, he never got the chance to play on his birthday.
4) Bret Boone (1969)
Boone was best known for his seven seasons in Seattle, most notably in 2001, when he was one of seven Mariners selected to the All-Star Game, which happened to be played in their home park, and start at second base while batting cleanup for the AL. Though teammate Ichiro Suzuki won the AL MVP Award that year, Boone had a higher WAR, 8.8 to 7.7, while leading the team in both homers (37) and RBIs (141). That club still holds the MLB record with 116 wins. Boone, who was worth 22.8 WAR over parts of 14 seasons, also played for the Reds, Braves, Padres and Twins before hanging up his cleats in ’05.
5) Red Smith (1890)
Smith played just nine seasons, but he was an above-replacement player in each as one of the standout players just after the Modern Era began in 1901. In ’13 with Brooklyn, he led the Majors with 40 doubles. Smith was stellar for the Boston Braves after he went over in a midseason trade in ’14, hitting .314 and helping the club win the NL pennant, but he broke his leg on the final day of the season and was unable to play in the World Series. For his career, the Auburn University graduate hit .278/.353/.377 (.731 OPS) and was worth 27 WAR before retiring after his age-29 season.
Want to see more baseball birthdays for April 6? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.