March 20

Just one active player who was born today, and that's Jonny Venters. If he can match his 2010 rookie season for the next 15 or 20 years he might be the best player born on this date, but he's certainly not there yet. So, who is? We're going old school for these ones...

Offensively, its a pretty barren day. Mike Griffin is the pick here. Griffin was an outfielder from 1887 to 1898, playing primarily with Brooklyn in the 1890s. He managed a solid 123 OPS+ and stole 473 bases, including 94 in his rookie season.

On the mound we get Hall of Famer Iron Joe McGinnity. McGinnity had a fairly brief but solid major league career, amassing 246 wins and a 120 ERA+. His nickname has been attributed to both his offseason work in a foundry and to the 1903 season when he started and won both games of a doubleheader three times in one month. He threw a shutout in Game 4 of the 1905 World Series for the Giants against the A's - all five of the games in that Series featured shutouts, with Christy Mathewson accounting for three.

March 19

Well, what a difference a day makes. Today we actually have not just a star, but a Hall of Famer to look at. First off, though, a Happy Birthday to current Major Leaguers Clayton Kershaw, Jason LaRue, David Ross, Landon Powell, and Matt Downs.

Our clear-cut best offensive (and overall) player born on March 19 is Phillies Hall of Fame outfielder Richie Ashburn. Ashburn played from 1948-1962, making four All Star teams and racking up 2,574 hits. He also posted a career .396 OBP. Ashburn was elected to the Hall in 1995 by the Veteran's Committee.

The only other offensive players of note are Gee Walker, a solid one-time All Star outfielder for the Tigers, White Sox, Senators, Indians and Reds from 1931-1945, and Bill Wambsganss, a second baseman for the Indians, Red Sox and A's from 1914-1926. Walker had a long and fairly average career - nearly 2,000 hits, but a lifetime OPS+ of just 99. Wambsganss was even worse offensively, but he gets a mention because of the 1920 World Series. In Game 5, he turned an unassisted triple play against the Dodgers, the first triple play in World Series history.

As far as pitchers go, there isn't a lot happening today. Mike Norris, who pitched for the A's from 1976-1983 and then made 14 appearances for them in 1990, pitched by far the most of anyone born today. He only managed an ERA+ of 97 while going 58-59 in his career, but he did win 22 games in 1980 with a 2.53 ERA, finishing second in the Cy Young voting and winning the first of two Gold Gloves. Kershaw could definitely surpass him in the next few years, however, and claim the coveted title of Best Pitcher Ever Born on March 19.

March 18

Ok, to get us started, lets look at today, March 18. 47 people born on this date have played Major League Baseball. Chad Cordero, Scott Podsednik, Andy Sonnanstine, Fernando Rodney, Corky Miller and Craig Tatum are all currently active.

No big stars today. Offensively, our choices include Podsednik, 1980s A's centerfieler Dwayne Murphy, and '30s and '40s Braves and Pirates first baseman Elbie Fletcher. Pods, clearly, has the wheels, but he's been a pretty bad offensive player every year after his rookie season in 2003, with a career OPS+ of 89. Murphy actually had a pretty solid career - decent power, six straight Gold Gloves, and a lifetime OPS+ of 115. Fletcher was also an above-average player with an OPS+ of 117, and led the NL in OBP three times in a row from 1940-42. The two are pretty close, but I'll give the edge to Dwayne Murphy.

Its almost as bad on the mound for today. Scary fact - Tomo Ohka, who had his best years with the Expos in the early 2000s, has the most starts for anyone born on March 18, with 178. But with just a 105 ERA+, I'll ignore him for a few other interesting fellows. Nixey Callahan played at the turn of the 20th Century for both the Cubs and the White Sox, notching 99 wins and a ERA+ of 109. He also played quite a bit as an outfielder, collecting over 900 hits. But my choice for today's birthday pitcher is Al Benton, who primarily pitched for the Tigers from the late '30s through the '40s. He had several solid seasons for a powerhouse Detroit team, both as a starter and as a reliever, compiling 98 wins, 66 save sand a 115 ERA+ for his career. He also missed two of his prime years due to World War II. But Benton's biggest claim to fame is that he pitched against both Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle - the only man to do so.

So Happy Birthday to Dwayne Murphy, Al Benton and the other Major Leaguers who were born on March 18!

Baseball Birthdays

So, random idea I had while browsing Baseball Reference - for any given day, who are the greatest players in baseball history? Every day I'll be cruising through Baseball Reference and checking, and posting my thoughts on the contestants.