The best baseball players born on Jan. 16

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 Jan. 16:

1) Albert Pujols (1980)
One of the greatest hitters of all time, Pujols was nearly superhuman upon joining the Cardinals in 2001, when he was a unanimous pick for NL Rookie of the Year honors. For 11 years in St. Louis, he hit .328 with a 1.037 OPS and a season average of 40 home runs, 41 doubles and 121 RBIs. He was a perennial NL MVP candidate, winning the award three times, finishing second four times and among the top five in 10 of those 11 years. Pujols also delivered in October, winning the 2004 NLCS MVP, hitting the mammoth train-track homer in Houston during the '05 postseason, and bringing World Series championships to St. Louis in 2006 and '11. Shortly after winning that second title, Pujols secured a 10-year, $254 million deal with the Angels, but "The Machine" quickly started to wear down. Despite the stark decline after signing the mega-contract, Pujols is a no-doubt Hall of Famer. He eclipsed the 3,000-hit mark in 2018 and is one of only three players to reach 600 homers and 600 doubles (joining Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds). After becoming just the fourth player to hit 700 homers, the legendary slugger retired after the 2022 season.

2) Dizzy Dean (1910)
Immortalized in the 1952 film "The Pride of St. Louis," Dean was a Hall of Fame pitcher and the ace of the Gas House Gang Cardinals that won the 1934 World Series. He was the National League's last 30-game winner in '34, when he took home the NL MVP Award with a 2.66 ERA and an MLB-best 195 strikeouts. Dean finished second for the award the next two seasons and was a four-time All-Star. But by the time he joined the Cubs in 1938, his best pitching days were behind him. Known for his wild personality and making bold predictions, Dean went on to become a successful broadcaster and an ambassador for baseball. His No. 17 was retired by the Cardinals in 1974.

3) Jimmy Collins (1870)
A Boston star with the Beaneaters who made the jump in 1901 to the newly formed AL, Collins led the Red Sox (then called the Americans) as player-manager to the first World Series championship in 1903. He is credited with changing the style of play at third base, with his plaque at Cooperstown claiming "he was the first player to realize that playing closer to home plate and charging the ball is the best means of defense against a bunt. He was one of the first to make bare-handed fielding plays."

4) Jack McDowell (1966)
"_He's a friend of the Smithereens, an old pal of Eddie Vedder. For a good few years, there weren't any pitchers better._" So goes rock supergroup The Baseball Project's 2008 ode to McDowell, a star of the 1990s -- both on and off the field. A right-handed ace for the White Sox, he was a 20-game winner in 1992 to finish second for AL Cy Young honors. "Black Jack" followed that up with a 22-win season to take home the 1993 award. A workhorse from a bygone era, he twice led the Majors in complete games, racking up 38 across his three All-Star campaigns (1991-93). McDowell pitched in 12 seasons (seven for Chicago), but injuries forced him out of the game in 1999 at age 33. As the song lyric above implies, he was also a celebrated musician as a guitarist in alternative-rock bands during and after his playing days.

5) Mark Trumbo (1986)
A native of Anaheim, Trumbo was drafted out of high school by his hometown club in the 18th round in 2004 and got his first look in the Majors six years later. The first baseman/outfielder finished second for the 2011 AL Rookie of the Year Award with a 29-homer season. He followed that up with 32 homers and his first All-Star selection, then a 34-HR season in '13. After trades to Arizona and Seattle (along with injuries), Trumbo had a resurgence in 2016 with Baltimore. He hit an MLB-best 47 homers with 108 RBIs and an .850 OPS (all career highs), winning AL Comeback Player of the Year honors at age 30 and a Silver Slugger Award in his second All-Star campaign. But it was a short-lived comeback, with further injuries leading to his exit from MLB in 2019.

Other of note:
Jack Cust (1979): A prototype of the three true outcomes batter, Cust hit a career-high 33 homers with Oakland in 2008, while also leading the AL in walks (111) and strikeouts (197) that year. He slashed .242/.374/.439 across 10 MLB seasons with 105 HRs, 323 RBIs, 444 walks and a 120 OPS+ for the D-backs, Rockies, Orioles, Padres, A's and Mariners from 2001-11.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for Jan. 16? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.