The best baseball players born on Dec. 20
Here’s a subjective rating of the highest 5 for Dec. 20.
1) Branch Rickey (1881)
Rickey tops this listing not for his achievements as a participant, however for his quite a few contributions as an government. Among probably the most noteworthy: his position in growing the trendy farm system; opening the primary full-time Spring Training facility; his early embrace of statistical evaluation; and selling use of batting cages, pitching machines and batting helmets. Of course, nothing he did was extra important than signing Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, completely tearing down baseball’s shade barrier.
2) Gabby Hartnett (1900)
The Hall of Fame catcher was a six-time All-Star and the 1935 NL MVP Award winner. Hartnett was a remarkably regular presence at backstop for 20 seasons, 19 with the Cubs (three of which he additionally served as player-manager). “Old Tomato Face” — nicknamed as such as a result of, as one may guess, he had a big, rosy-complected face — slashed .297/.370/.489 for his profession. He was behind the plate for Babe Ruth’s referred to as shot, although his most memorable profession achievement was his 1938 “Homer in the Gloamin’.” With darkness descending upon a pre-lights Wrigley Field, Hartnett’s walk-off shot put the Cubs in first place for good en path to successful the pennant.
3) David Wright (1982)
“Captain America” was the face of the Mets for a decade-plus, throughout which he made seven All-Star appearances and gained a pair of Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. He’s the Mets’ all-time chief in quite a few classes, together with hits, RBIs, complete bases and wins above substitute. Wright was an especially constant hitter earlier than accidents ended his profession, placing up 5 seasons with an OPS above .900 and a profession .296/.376/.491 slash line. He was additionally chosen because the “Face of MLB” by fan vote in 2014.
4) Cecil Cooper (1949)
A five-time All-Star first baseman, Cooper twice led the Majors in RBIs (122 in 1980, 126 in ‘83), winning two Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Sluggers during an excellent 17-year career split between the Red Sox and the Brewers. He also won the 1983 Roberto Clemente Award and has been enshrined in the Milwaukee Brewers’ Wall of Honor, in addition to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. His game-winning hit in Game 5 of the 1982 AL Championship Series gave the Brewers their solely World Series berth up to now.
5) James Shields (1981)
“Big Game James” displayed outstanding sturdiness all through his profession, making at the very least 31 begins in 11 of his 13 massive league seasons and throwing over 200 innings in 10 of these years. He was an All-Star for the Rays in 2011, when he posted a career-best 2.82 ERA and an MLB-high 11 full video games, finally inserting third in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Oscar Gamble (1949)
Gamble was a fan favourite partially due to his massive character and his massive hair, however he additionally had an excellent 17-year profession as an outfielder and designated hitter. Seven of these seasons got here with the Yankees, for whom he hit 87 homers and had a 141 OPS+.
Fred Merkle (1888)
Merkle is finest remembered right this moment for unlucky causes, having dedicated a baserunning fake pas as a rookie in 1908 that finally value the New York Giants the pennant. (You know a play was dangerous when it will get its personal nickname — on this case, “Merkle’s Boner.”) But that’s considerably unfair to the primary baseman, whose general Major League tenure was stable, albeit not distinctive; throughout components of 16 seasons, he had a 109 OPS+.
