The best baseball players born on May 25

May 25th, 2024

Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar.

Here is a subjective ranking of the top five for May 25.

1) Miguel Tejada (1974)

The 2002 American League MVP compiled 150 RBIs two years later for the Orioles, the second-most ever in a single season by a shortstop. He was a six-time All-Star, the 2005 All-Star Game MVP and played 1,152 consecutive games from 2000-07, the fifth-longest such streak in MLB history.

2) Joe Judge (1894)

A superb defensive first baseman, Judge’s signature play came on July 1, 1920, when his impressive stop at Fenway Park sealed Walter Johnson’s only career no-hitter, against the Red Sox. Judge was also a threat with the bat. A career .298 hitter, he batted over .300 nine times and compiled 2,352 hits over 20 seasons, 18 with the Washington Senators.

3) Martín Dihigo (1905)

The only Hall of Famer born on this date, Dihigo was a legendary two-way star of the Negro Leagues in the 1920s and '30s. Nicknamed "El Inmortal" (The Immortal), the Cuban-born Dihigo was Black baseball's Shohei Ohtani of that era, winning home run titles and throwing no-hitters from the mound. He remains one of the premier Cuban icons of baseball's first century.

4) Chris Young (1979)

An All-Star righty for the Padres in 2007, the 6-foot-10 Young is tied with Randy Johnson and four others as the second-tallest player to ever appear in the Majors. He became an executive after his 13-year playing career, and was named general manager of the Rangers after the 2020 season. Young's Rangers went on to capture the team's first World Series title in 2023.

5) (1950)

Only nine players in Giants history have homered in their first career at-bat -- Montefusco is one of two pitchers, and the last to do so. The right-hander accomplished the feat on Sept. 3, 1974, went on to claim National League Rookie of the Year honors in '75 and earned an All-Star nod in '76.

Others of note:

Bob Knepper (1954)

A two-time All-Star with the Astros in the 1980s, Knepper went 146-155 with a 3.68 ERA over 15 big league seasons. The left-hander twice led the NL in shutouts and once in losses.

Dave Hollins (1966)

Hollins was an All-Star for the 1993 NL champion Phillies. Three years later, he was traded from the Twins to the Mariners for a player-to-be-named later who turned out to be future Red Sox great David Ortiz.

Todd Walker (1973)

Walker was an elite college performer before embarking on a productive 12-year big league career, winning Most Outstanding Player honors at the 1993 College World Series with Louisiana State. He then went on to hit .289 with a .348 career on-base percentage for seven teams, twice collecting at least 40 doubles and twice hitting over .300 in a single season.

The versatile role player was the last in a three-generation baseball family to reach the Majors, following grandfather Scott, father Jerry, uncle John and brother Jerry Hairston Jr.

Jason Kubel (1982)

One of 39 players in Major League history born in South Dakota, Kubel’s 140 career home runs are the most by anyone from the Mount Rushmore State. The slugging outfielder collected 28 homers and 103 RBIs for the Twins in 2009, and socked 30 homers for the D-backs in 2012.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for May 25? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.