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 Feb. 15.
1) Billy Hamilton (1866)
That's the Hall of Famer Hamilton, not the impossibly fast outfielder of present day. But the elder Hamilton could fly, too -- in addition to his two batting titles, he stole 100 or more bases four times in 14 seasons and still ranks third in baseball history with 914. If that wasn't enough, he scored 100 or more runs 11 times and still holds the single-season record at 198. Hamilton was elected posthumously into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1961.
2) Ron Cey (1948)
A mainstay of the 1970s Dodgers, Cey played 17 years in the Majors and put together quite the resume. He made six consecutive All-Star teams from 1974 to 1979 and was the World Series MVP in the Dodgers' magical come-from-behind 1981 title run. Despite being traded to the Cubs in 1982, Cey still holds the Dodgers franchise record for games played at third base, and has a lead of over 500 games in that department. While that's all impressive, we still have to close this section with the following note -- his nickname, "The Penguin," is still excellent, even if it was only given to him because of the way he walked.
3) Russell Martin (1983)
Martin, like Cey, spent most of his career with the Dodgers, but stints with the Yankees, Pirates and Blue Jays gave him some name recognition elsewhere. Despite not being much of a slugger by today's standards, Martin comes up quite a bit in home run trivia -- he hit the third of the Dodgers' four consecutive ninth-inning homers on Sept. 18, 2006, and the second of the Yankees' then-unprecedented three grand slams on Aug. 25, 2011.
4) Johnny Cueto (1986)
After enjoying quite a bit of success over 17 years, he remains best known for his wild, ever-changing mechanics. Even so, it's hard to argue with their results. Between 2010 and 2016, Cueto was as dominant as anyone -- among pitchers with at least 500 innings over that span, his 139 ERA+ was second only to Clayton Kershaw's 170.
5) George Earnshaw (1900)
Earnshaw, a two-time World Series champion with the Athletics in 1929 and '30, is an interesting case. He didn't play professional baseball until he was 24 and made his Major League debut at 28, and once he was there, his success was short-lived. After being disciplined by management a few times, he eventually lost his place in the A's rotation and was out of the league by 1936, and later was given a Naval Commendation for his service in WWII. Overall, something of a mixed bag.
Others of note:
Alex Gonzalez (1977)
González played 16 seasons in the Majors, second only to Cey among position players born on Feb. 15.
Ugueth Urbina (1974)
Other than having the most unlikely initials in baseball history (his middle name is Urtain), Urbina was a bona fide relief ace in his time and made two All-Star teams in 1998 and 2002
Chuck Estrada (1938)
Despite pitching only three full seasons in his career, his 1960 rookie campaign with the Orioles saw him make the All-Star team, finish second in Rookie of the Year voting, and 12th in the AL MVP race, highest among pitchers that year.
Want to see more baseball birthdays for Feb. 15? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.