The best baseball players born on March 9

March 9th, 2024

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 March 9.

1) Arky Vaughan (1912)
Vaughan is considered one of the best shortstops of all time, playing 14 seasons with a career batting average of .318. He was considered, what we would call today, a Gold Glove-caliber fielder, though the award did not exist during his career.

Vaughan hit .385 to win the 1935 batting title and was a nine-time All-Star. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

Vaughan died in a boating accident at age 40 when his fishing boat capsized.

Arky Vaughan with the Pirates in 1941, one of his nine All-Star seasons. (AP)

2) Bert Campaneris (1942)
Campaneris was a six-time All-Star, a six-time AL stolen bases champion, and the first big leaguer to play all nine positions in a single game.

On Sept. 8, 1965, Campaneris -- as part of a publicity stunt -- played all nine positions in a game for the A’s against the Angels. On the mound, he pitched ambidextrously, throwing lefty to left-handers and switching against right-handers. On March 12, 2015, actor Will Ferrell played in five Spring Training games at all nine positions to honor Campaneris.

Campaneris played 19 seasons, mostly with the A’s, where he won three World Series titles.

3) Benito Santiago (1965)
Santiago holds the record for the longest hitting streak by a rookie, with 34 games in 1987.

He was the 1987 Rookie of the Year, a five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner as a catcher. He could throw out a would-be base stealer from his knees, thanks to his strong arm.

4) Aaron Boone (1973)
The current Yankees manager, Boone’s playing career is best remembered for his 11th-inning walk-off homer in Game 7 against the Red Sox to clinch the 2003 ALCS.

Boone had two 20-homer seasons and was an NL All-Star in 2003.

5) Jackie Jensen (1927)
The AL MVP in 1958, Jensen led the league in RBIs twice and averaged 21 homers and 100 RBIs over his nine-year career. He was so highly regarded to begin his career, Jensen was considered a possible heir-apparent to Joe DiMaggio for the Yankees.

A tremendous athlete, Jensen was also a star football player at the University of California and was inducted posthumously into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984. He remains the only man to play in the Rose Bowl, East-West Shrine Game, the World Series and baseball's All-Star Game.

Jackie Jensen (center) is congratulated after hitting a grand slam against the White Sox in 1958. (AP)

Others of note:

Billy Southworth (1893): Southworth was a Major League player for 13 seasons and a Major League manager for 13 more. He managed two World Series champions with the Cardinals (1942 & 1944) and was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager in 2008 by the Veterans Committee.

Terry Mulholland (1963): Pitched for 11 different teams over 20 seasons, throwing a no-hitter for the Phillies in 1990.

Ron Kline (1932): Kline won 114 games and led the AL in saves in 1965 before becoming mayor of his hometown, Callery, Pa.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for March 9? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.