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 April 9.
1) Hippo Vaughn (1888)
This 6-foot-4 left-hander, whose nickname “Hippo” was inspired by his large build, pitched in one of baseball’s rarest instances: a double no-hitter. On May 2, 1917, Vaughn (then with the Cubs) squared off against the Reds’ Fred Toney. For the first, and so far only, time in MLB history, both starters allowed no hits through nine innings. Vaughn was ultimately on the losing end after he allowed a hit and a run in the 10th, but his efforts that day typified his impressive career. Over 13 years in the bigs, Vaughn pitched to a 2.49 ERA, notching 178 wins and 41 shutouts. He also won baseball’s “Pitching Triple Crown” in 1918 when he led the NL in wins (22), ERA (1.74) and strikeouts (148), making him one of 28 hurlers to accomplish the feat.
2) Doc White (1879)
White was a crucial piece of the 1906 World Series-champion White Sox, who won the first title in club history. That year, the Washington, D.C., native paced the American League with a minuscule 1.52 ERA and led the Majors with a 0.903 WHIP, both of which were career highs. White’s streak of 45 consecutive scoreless innings, which he achieved from Sept. 12-30, 1904, is tied for the eighth-longest single-season streak in MLB history (since 1900). During that stretch, he tossed five straight shutouts, which was a record until the Dodgers’ Don Drysdale broke it in 1968 with six. White’s 2.39 career ERA ranks No. 27 all-time.
3) Luis Arraez (1997)
Arraez hit .314 in 2024 to win his third consecutive batting title, becoming the first player in MLB history to win a batting title with three different teams (Padres, Twins and Marlins). After hitting .354 in his first season with the Marlins in 2023, Arraez became only the second player in the Modern Era to capture a batting title in both leagues, joining DJ LeMahieu (Rockies in 2016, Yankees in '20), and the first to do so in back-to-back seasons. The second baseman won the AL batting title in '22 when he hit .316 with Minnesota, and then he was traded to Miami during the offseason. Arraez is a three-time All-Star with two Silver Slugger Awards.
4) Claude Passeau (1909)
If you’re thinking, “this guy’s name sounds more like a painter than a baseball player,” you’re partially correct, since Passeau was an artist on the mound for 13 years. His most impactful start was likely his one-hit shutout vs. the Tigers in Game 3 of the 1945 World Series which temporarily gave the Cubs a 2-1 series lead, though they eventually lost in seven games. Passeau threw over 200 innings in 10 of his 13 seasons, was named to four All-Star teams and received MVP votes three times in his MLB tenure. He also holds the pitchers’ record for most consecutive fielding chances without an error with 273.
5) David Robertson (1985)
When Robertson began his career in the Yankees’ bullpen, it was in the shadow of all-time great Mariano Rivera. He had big shoes to fill when Rivera retired in 2013 and he became the de facto closer in the Bronx. Robertson performed well as Rivera’s heir, recording 39 saves and striking out 96 batters in 64 1/3 innings in 2014 before departing for the White Sox the next season. His best overall year thus far was in 2011, when he pitched to a razor-thin 1.08 ERA over 70 appearances and finished 11th in the AL Cy Young voting.
Others of note:
Nate Colbert (1946)
After starting his MLB tenure with the Astros, Colbert was drafted by the Padres in the 1968 Expansion Draft and became an original Padre in 1969. The St. Louis native spent six years in San Diego and had a notable solo slugfest on Aug. 1, 1972, when he tied Stan Musial’s record by hitting five home runs in a doubleheader. Colbert’s 163 home runs as a Padre are the most in club history, and he ranks sixth on the franchise leaderboard in RBIs (481) and seventh in runs scored (442).
Graeme Lloyd (1967)
The 6-foot-8 hurler was the fourth Australian baseball player, and the first pitcher, to debut in the Major Leagues. Lloyd was also the first Aussie to win a World Series ring, which he accomplished twice with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998. During those two championship years, he was spotless out of the bullpen, posting a 0.00 ERA over 13 appearances and earning the victory in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series.
Eric Campbell (1987)
With a last name like Campbell, it’s fitting that this infielder’s nickname is “Soup.” He went nearly five years between Major League plate appearances, from 2016 to 2021. Campbell’s 1,698 days between MLB hits mark the second-longest such streak to be broken by a Mariner, second to Rico Rossy’s 1,739-day stretch from Sept. 15, 1993, to June 21, 1998.
Want to see more baseball birthdays for April 9? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.