The best baseball players born on Aug. 15

August 15th, 2023

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. 15:

1) Bill Sherdel (1896)
Sherdel spent the majority of his 15-year big league career with the Cardinals, and he ranks among the franchise's all-time leaders in several pitching categories. His 153 wins for St. Louis are the most by a left-hander in club history and fifth overall behind only Bob Gibson (251), Jesse Haines (210), Adam Wainwright (184 entering 2022) and Bob Forsch (163). Sherdel also ranks third in games pitched (465), fourth in innings (2,450 2/3), sixth in starts (243) and he's tied for seventh in complete games (145). He helped the Cardinals win two National League pennants (1926 and '28) and one World Series championship (1926). Sherdel died in his hometown of McSherrystown, Pa., at the age of 72 in 1968.

2) Scott Brosius (1966)
Brosius spent seven of his 11 big league seasons with the A's, but he's most known for his final four years with the Yankees, during which he won three straight World Series championships (1998-2000). Brosius was the MVP of the Fall Classic in '98, when he went 8-for-17 with two home runs and six RBIs in four games against the Padres. That was the same year he received his lone career All-Star selection, as he batted .300/.371/.472 with 19 homers and 98 RBIs in 152 regular-season games. Brosius won an American League Gold Glove Award at third base in '99, and he finished his career with a .314/.333/.529 slash line, four homers and 13 RBIs in 20 World Series games.

3) Jarrod Dyson (1984)
Dyson's speed on the basepaths was a valuable asset for the Royals as they won back-to-back AL pennants in 2014 and '15, as well as the World Series championship in 2015. He stole 156 bases for Kansas City from 2012-16, a stretch during which he hit .264/.327/.355 in 506 games. Dyson spent his first seven big league seasons with the Royals, and he had a brief return to the team in 2021. He scored the go-ahead run in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, helping to spark a five-run rally in the 12th inning of the Royals' clinching victory over the Mets.

4) Joey Jay (1935)
Jay pitched for 13 seasons in the big leagues, with his career split fairly evenly between the Braves and Reds. His best season was his first with Cincinnati in 1961, when he was named an All-Star and led the NL in wins (21) and shutouts (four). The right-hander also posted a 3.53 ERA and had 14 complete games over 34 starts that year, while finishing fifth in NL MVP Award voting. Jay won 21 games again in '62, when he recorded a 3.76 ERA and pitched a career-high 273 innings. He finished his career with a 3.77 ERA over 310 games (203 starts).

5) Oliver Pérez (1981)
Pérez pitched for eight teams over his 20-year big league career. He entered the Majors as a starter, and he had some solid years early in his career. Pérez posted a 2.98 ERA in 30 starts for the Pirates in 2004. He won a career-high 15 games and had a 3.56 ERA in 29 starts for the Mets in '07. Pérez spent the 2011 season in the Minors, before he made it back to the big leagues as a reliever in '12. From 2012-22, Pérez had a 3.56 ERA in 497 relief appearances.

Others of note:
Doggie Miller (1864)

Miller had 1,381 hits and 567 RBIs in a 13-year career that spanned from 1884-96. He was a catcher who also played some third base and outfield, and he spent 10 seasons playing for Pittsburgh.

Chris Singleton (1972)
Singleton finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting in 1999, when he batted .300/.328/.490 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs in 133 games for the White Sox. He played six big league seasons before going on to become a broadcaster.

Charlie Comiskey (1859)
Comiskey played 13 seasons from 1882-94, then later was the owner of the White Sox from 1900-31. He oversaw the construction of Comiskey Park, which served as the White Sox ballpark from 1910-90, and he led the franchise to World Series titles in 1906 and 1917. He was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Aug. 15? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.