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 Aug. 9.

1) Ted Simmons (1949)
Known as a true baseball Renaissance man who caught more than 15,000 innings over a 21-year career with the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves, Simmons is the lone Hall of Famer with a birthday on Aug. 9 after being inducted as part of the class of 2020. Simmons’ long career included 2,456 regular-season games, which is more than all but two players who were primarily catchers in their careers -- Iván Rodriguez (2,543) and Carlton Fisk (2,499), both of whom also have plaques in Cooperstown. And while Simmons was never known as a big power threat with just 248 career regular-season home runs, he’s one of just six catchers to go deep in back-to-back World Series games, doing so in 1982 for the Brewers.

2) Jason Heyward (1989)
Heyward showed that he knew how to make an entrance when he reached the Major Leagues in 2010 with the Braves (and as an Atlanta-area product) at the age of 20, while carrying a lot of hype and expectations as baseball’s top prospect. Heyward quickly sent the hometown faithful into a frenzy on Opening Day that season, launching a three-run shot off the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano with his first swing as a big leaguer. He would go on to be an All-Star that year and finish second in Rookie of the Year voting. 2024 marked Heyward's 15th season in the Majors, with the veteran outfielder adding five Gold Glove Awards and a World Series championship ring with the 2016 Cubs to his trophy case along the way.

3) Claude Osteen (1939)
Osteen made his MLB debut in 1957 at the age of just 17 after going 16-0 in his senior season at Reading High School in Ohio. Known primarily for his nine seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Osteen had double-digit wins every year from 1965-73, including a pair of 20-win campaigns. He was a three-time All-Star and the winning pitcher in the 1970 Midsummer Classic when Pete Rose famously bowled over catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run.

4) Tommie Agee (1942)
The 1966 American League Rookie of the Year Award winner and an All-Star in his first two full seasons with the White Sox, Agee is remembered most for what he did on baseball’s biggest stage with the Mets in 1969. In World Series Game 3 against the Orioles, the two-time Gold Glove winner made a pair of dazzling plays -- potentially saving five runs -- while also hitting a home run. Agee would finish sixth in MVP voting that year after slugging 26 homers with a 122 OPS+ in the regular season.

5) Troy Percival (1969)
Percival had arguably his best season as a closer in 2002 and capped that campaign with something that every pitcher dreams of -- being on the mound to finish off a World Series win in a Game 7. Percival did just that on Oct. 27, retiring Kenny Lofton for the final out of the 4-1 victory and clinching the franchise’s first World Series championship.

Others of note:
Matt Morris (1974)
Morris, the 12th overall pick by St. Louis in the 1995 Draft, won 12 games as a rookie starter in '97 with a 3.19 ERA in 33 starts. He tied for second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting behind future Cardinals teammate Scott Rolen, then with the Phillies. Morris’ best season came in 2001 when he led the Majors with 22 wins in the first of his back-to-back All-Star campaigns.

Julian Javier (1936)
A two-time All-Star, Javier played more games at second base (1,547) than any other player in Cardinals franchise history.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Aug. 9? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.