The best baseball players born on Jan. 18

Here’s a subjective rating of the highest 5 for Jan. 18.

1) Curt Flood (1938)
If Flood had accomplished nothing however play baseball, he’d have had a memorable sufficient profession, spending 12 seasons as a defensively-gifted heart fielder on the Bob Gibson-era Cardinals of the Sixties, successful seven Gold Gloves whereas serving to to win the World Series in each 1964 and ‘67. Of course, Flood is notable for significantly greater than that, as a result of his refusal to report back to the Phillies upon being traded there after the 1969 season led to lawsuits and laid the groundwork for the start of the age of free company we nonetheless know at this time.

2) Brady Anderson (1964)
In 1988, Baltimore despatched former 20-game winner Mike Boddicker to the Red Sox in a Deadline commerce that returned a pair of unproven prospects: Curt Schilling and Brady Anderson. Not unhealthy, Orioles. While Schilling made his mark on baseball historical past after leaving Maryland, Anderson spent 14 seasons within the Baltimore outfield, changing into considered one of simply two gamers, together with Barry Bonds, to have a season with 50 steals (53 in 1992) and a season with 50 homers (50 in 1996). He later spent a number of seasons as Baltimore’s vp of baseball operations, however he’ll at all times be remembered for considered one of baseball’s most surprising nice seasons, that ‘96 when he blasted 50 and had a 1.034 OPS.

3) Mike Lieberthal (1972)
The third general choose within the 1990 Draft, two picks behind Chipper Jones, Lieberthal didn’t fairly attain the identical heights as Atlanta’s legendary third baseman. That’s not the identical factor as saying he didn’t have a robust profession, although; Lieberthal performed elements of 14 seasons within the Majors, all however the final for the Phillies, and took extra plate appearances as a catcher than another Phillie in modern-era historical past.

4) Scott McGregor (1954)
McGregor was a first-round choose of the Yankees in 1972 however by no means pitched in New York, discovering himself traded to the Orioles as a Minor Leaguer in 1976. He’d spend his total 13-year profession in Baltimore, incomes Cy Young votes in two totally different seasons whereas pitching extraordinarily properly within the postseason, permitting simply 9 earned runs in 49 2/3 October innings – most notably, throwing a shutout in opposition to the Phillies in Game 5 to complete off the 1983 World Series.

5) Max Fried (1994)
When you earn Cy Young votes, Most Valuable Player votes, win a Gold Glove, win a Silver Slugger, and win the deciding sport of the World Series earlier than you even flip 28, then it doesn’t matter that your profession remains to be a piece in progress. The No. 7 general choose by the Padres in 2012, Fried was despatched to Atlanta within the Justin Upton commerce in 2014; over his first 5 seasons with the Braves, he posted a 3.34 ERA.

Others of notice:
Michael Pineda (1989)
One of the all-time nice prospect-for-prospect problem trades appeared prefer it had been made in 2012, when the Mariners traded 23-year-old All-Star Pineda to the Yankees for 22-year-old super-prospect catcher Jesús Montero. While it didn’t find yourself enjoying out that approach – Montero by no means ended up hitting in any respect and Pineda has been held again from stardom by a number of accidents – “Big Mike” has loved a strong profession as a mid-rotation starter, first for the Yankees after which later the Twins.

Billy Grabarkewitz (1946)
A person born properly forward of his time, Grabarkewitz had what would by at this time’s requirements be thought of an all-time nice rookie season. In 1970, he hit 17 homers, stole 19 bases, posted a .399 OBP and performed succesful protection at three infield positions, good for what’s now seen as a monster 6.8 WAR season regardless of incomes zero Rookie of the Year votes. But he bought into solely 97 extra video games as a Dodger, partially as a result of he struck out what was then a franchise-record 149 instances and largely as a result of he battled a seemingly endless set of accidents. (“I’ve been X-rayed so much I glow in the dark,” he as soon as cracked, and that was earlier than he even reached the large leagues.) By age 29, Grabarkewitz was out of the Majors for good.

Carl Morton (1944)
Potentially one of many most-currently-anonymous award winners in Major League historical past, you may not bear in mind Morton in any respect, however he did win the 1970 National League Rookie of the Year Award for the Expos. Morton was later traded to the Braves, the place threw at the very least 250 innings three years in a row, however his profession was accomplished by 1976 and he sadly handed away from a coronary heart assault in 1983 at solely 39 years previous.

Mike Fornieles (1932)
“Mike” was really José Miguel, born in Havana before becoming one of many Cuban players to suit up for the original Washington Senators, who had a farm team in Havana at the time. In his Major League debut at 20 years old, Fornieles threw a one-hitter (while walking six) against the Philadelphia A’s, but after stops with the White Sox and O’s, he found his greatest success as a reliever with Boston from 1957-63, winning the very first “AL Fireman of the Year” award in ‘60.