The best baseball players born on Aug. 3

August 3rd, 2022

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. 3.

1) (1976)
Glaus put together an accolade-filled career from 1998-2010 as a member of the Angels (who drafted him with the third overall pick in '97), D-backs, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Braves. In 2002, he won a World Series with Anaheim and was named World Series MVP. His resume also features four All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger Awards. Glaus hit a cumulative .254/.358/.489 with a 38.1 bWAR and .847 OPS. He also belted 320 homers, including an AL-best 47 in '00 and 41 the following season.

2) Harry Heilmann (1894)
With a storied career at the plate, Heilmann is the only Hall of Famer born on Aug. 3. He won four batting titles and hit over .390 in each of those seasons, including a .403 batting average in 1923. Heilmann slashed .342/.410/.520 with a .930 OPS and a 72.5 bWAR over 17 years with the Reds and Tigers.

Harry Heilmann tracks a ball with the Tigers in 1917. (Bain Collection/Library of Congress)

3) (1960)
Bream marked his place in playoff history with an iconic slide into home plate in Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series that lifted the Braves over the Pirates and sent them to the World Series. In addition to his postseason heroics, Bream played 12 seasons with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Houston while accumulating a .992 fielding percentage at first base.

4) Rod Beck (1968)
Beck was dominant in the back-end of the bullpen during his 13-year career. The right-hander earned three All-Star selections and won the 1994 National League Rolaids Relief Award. From '92-98, he ranked in the top 10 among NL relievers in saves and games finished. Beck was 38-45 with a 3.30 ERA, 268 saves and 519 games finished with the Giants, Cubs, Red Sox and Padres.

5) Luis Robert (1997)
A native of Cuba, Robert was ranked as the top international amateur player in 2017 and inked a $26 million signing bonus with the White Sox that year. He debuted in '20, and that season he won a Gold Glove Award in the outfield and finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Others of note:

Jim Hegan (1920)
Hegan earned five All-Star selections during his 17-year career, and he won a World Series with Cleveland in 1948. Hegan ranked in the top five among American League catchers in fielding percentage for nine seasons, including first place from '54-55.

Mark Reynolds (1983)
Reynolds’ 13-year career includes time with Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, New York, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Washington and Colorado. He ranked fourth in home runs in 2009 (NL) and '11 (AL), and he also led all of baseball in strikeouts from '08-10.

Alec Bohm (1996)
The Phillies selected Bohm with the third overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. The third baseman made his Major League debut in '20, and he placed second for NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Matt Joyce (1984)
Joyce has played all across the league since 2008 as a member of the Tigers, Rays, Angels, Pirates, Athletics, Braves, Marlins and Phillies. The outfielder and pinch-hitter earned an All-Star nod in '11.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Aug. 3? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.