The best baseball players born on October 19

October 19th, 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 Oct. 19.

1) Mordecai Brown (1876)
Brown, who is the only Hall of Famer born on this date, finished his career with a 2.06 ERA and won two World Series titles. Among his most ridiculous stats, Brown pitched 342 2/3 innings in 1909, leading the league with 27 wins and 32 complete games. That wasn’t even his best season, as he posted a 1.04 ERA in 1906, the 10th lowest single-season mark in MLB history.

Mordecai Brown warms up for the Cubs in 1909. (Bain Collection/Library of Congress)

2) José Bautista (1980)
During the prime of his career, not many sluggers were feared more than Bautista. From 2010-15, Bautista hit 227 homers with a .945 OPS. He made six All-Star Games during that span, and finished in the top-10 in American League MVP voting four different times. But perhaps his most iconic moment came in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS against the Rangers, delivering the bat flip heard around Canada.

3) Michael Young (1976)
Young had a tremendous career in Texas, ending his playing days as a seven-time All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner. The versatile infielder led the league in hits in ‘05 and ‘11. Young was also durable, playing in 155 or more games in 10 seasons of his 14 full big league seasons.

4) J.A. Happ (1982)
Happ’s career wasn’t spectacular, but the left-hander was good enough to carve out a long and successful career, going 133-100 with a 4.13 ERA over 15 seasons.

5) Keith Foulke (1972)
Foulke’s career didn’t last very long, but he made sure that he took full advantage of his prime seasons. He led the league in saves with 43 in 2003 with the A’s, making his first and only All-Star Game. But in ‘04, Foulke was on the mound when the Red Sox won their first World Series title in 86 years.

Others of note:

Bob O'Farrell (1896)
He had an interesting career, spending most of his time with the Cubs, but winning his only World Series title as a member of the rival Cardinals in 1926. That season, O’Farrell was named the Most Valuable Player with a .804 OPS. Imagine that. 

Rajai Davis (1980)
Davis played for eight different organizations, but he was on his way to becoming a legend in Cleveland after his game-tying homer off Aroldis Chapman in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. 

Tim Belcher (1961)
Was a key part of the rotation that led the Dodgers to a World Series title in 1988. His 26.0 bWAR is the third-most by any player born on this date.

Want to see more baseball birthdays from October 19? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.