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. 26:
1) David Price (1985)
The best part about David Price's longtime status as one of the best left-handers in baseball is that the story nearly ended before it even began. As a freshman at Vanderbilt, Price once took a tough outing in an intrasquad game so hard that he fully intended to quit the sport and work at McDonald's. He even had the specific restaurant all picked out!
"It was definitely kind of out there," Vandy coach Tim Corbin told Sports Illustrated in 2008, "but I couldn't laugh because he was so serious."
Luckily, Corbin helped him get past this crisis of confidence. And as a result, Price began a sensational career in which he excelled at every level. Price blossomed into the best college baseball pitcher in the country, even winning the Dick Howser Trophy as the sport's best player. He was selected by Tampa Bay first overall in 2007.
And before the following season was out, he was in the Major Leagues, making a major impact for a watershed Rays team that would storm all the way to the World Series. He even got them out of a big-time jam in Game 7 of the ALCS, closing out the Red Sox and clinching the pennant.
Within two years, Price had become an ace and an All-Star. And just two years after that, he won the 2012 AL Cy Young Award after leading the league with 20 wins and a 2.56 ERA.
Price was then traded twice, and flourished for both teams that acquired him. He pitched well for the Tigers in the 2014 ALDS, albeit in defeat. And after a midseason trade to the Blue Jays the following season, he pitched brilliantly for a team that narrowly lost to the Royals in the 2015 ALCS. Price then signed a record 7-year, $217 million deal with the Red Sox to lead their rotation.
Price's performance in Boston wasn't what he had been accustomed to, marred by injuries and inconsistency. But when the lights were brightest, he was at his best, winning his first postseason start -- and then two more games -- as the Red Sox stormed to the World Series title in 2018. Price was named, deservedly, the AL Comeback Player of the Year.
Traded to the Dodgers along with Mookie Betts in one of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory, Price opted out of the 2020 season and largely worked as a reliever in '21. He announced his retirement after the 2022 season. He hit every height in the sport in his career and is one of the best left-handers of his generation.
And as he proved long ago at Vandy, nobody -- including himself -- should give up on David Price.
2) Elvis Andrus (1988)
Where did Elvis Andrus' first name come from? Might it have been The King? Well, if you find out, please tell him -- he has no idea.
"I asked my mother a lot of times," Andrus once told the New York Times, "but she never told me. Maybe my dad liked Elvis Presley. I'm not sure about that."
A native of Venezuela, Andrus was a big-time prospect with the Braves, was traded to the Rangers in the Mark Teixeira blockbuster and ended up an institution. Andrus was second for Rookie of the Year in 2009, made two All-Star teams and helped lead Texas to two straight World Series appearances before being traded to Oakland prior to the 2021 season. He then signed a deal to join the White Sox during the 2022 season.
A classic shortstop, Andrus did once hit 20 homers, but he was largely known as a catalyst for his wheels (career-high 42 steals in 2013) and his stellar defense. Andrus signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Ranger in 2024, and was inducted into the Rangers' Hall of Fame in '25.
3) Jesse Barnes (1892)
Barnes, who ranked third among players born on Aug. 26 with 22.1 career bWAR, experienced both ends of the success spectrum. In 1917, he led the Majors with 21 losses for the Boston Braves -- albeit with a stellar 2.68 ERA. Just two years later, with the New York Giants, Barnes led the NL with 25 wins, finishing behind just Eddie Cicotte, who won 29 with the infamous 1919 Black Sox.
Also notable:
- His 25th victory in 1919 took just 51 minutes, making Mark Buehrle look like a procrastinator and setting the mark for the shortest nine-inning game in MLB history.
- Barnes holds the record for the most innings thrown by a reliever in a World Series (16 1/3 in 1921) and in one WS game (8 1/3).
- Barnes faced his brother Virgil in the first such matchup of siblings in the Major Leagues on June 26, 1924. (Jesse took the loss.)
- He owned a short-lived tire store in New York City during his career.
4) Sparky Adams (1894)
A solid defensive infielder who hit .286 over his 13-year career, Adams held his own during an era populated by figurative giants such as Ruth, Gehrig and Cobb. What set him apart was his own relatively diminutive status: Adams was regarded as the shortest player in the National League at 5-foot-4 at the time. It didn't stop him from finishing ninth in NL MVP voting in 1931 or winning the World Series that season with the Cardinals.
5) Chick Fraser (1873)
Fraser won 20 games twice -- great! Unfortunately, he also lost 20 games five times -- not so great! He also hit 219 batters in his career, second all time. He was at the very least inventive; Honus Wagner claimed he devised the spitball. And Fraser threw a no-hitter in 1903 in a game that had been postponed about a month because the bleachers in the stadium apparently collapsed.
Fraser was arguably a better businessman than a pitcher, as he ran a successful poultry business and owned an alfalfa ranch. Not to mention, you'd be hard pressed to find a player who was both arrested during a game -- it had to do with a law against playing games on Sundays -- and served as a witness in a murder trial. (The details are wild.)
Others of note
Spencer Torkelson (1999)
The Tigers selected Torkelson out of Arizona State with the first pick in the 2020 Draft. The highly-touted infielder made Detroit's big league roster in 2022, and debuted on Opening Day. Torkelson then hit 31 homers for the Tigers in '23.
Morgan Ensberg (1975)
For one shining year -- 2005 -- Morgan Ensberg was as good as any player in the sport, hitting 36 homers, finishing fourth in MVP voting and making his lone All-Star Game. He was never as good before or since, but he's carved out a nice niche as a coach and manager.
Alex Kellner (1924)
Kellner's career started off with a bang, as he won 20 games for the 1949 Philadelphia A's; he made the All-Star team and finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting. The very next year, he lost 20 games, becoming one of only 15 pitchers to experience that seesaw effect. Kellner was a mainstay for the A's for years, but ultimately his potential was capped by being the best pitcher on a moribund team.
Axel Lindstrom (1895)
Lindstrom is one of just four Major League players to hail from Sweden, pitching in one game for the Philadelphia A's in 1916. (Hey, it counts! He even earned the save!)
Want to see more baseball birthdays for Aug. 26? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.