The best baseball players born on June 26

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 June 26.

1) Derek Jeter (1974)
Whether it be the nicknames (The Captain, Mr. November) or the epic moments (The Flip Play, The Dive), no player in recent history is as instantly recognizable as Jeter. After arriving in the Bronx at age 20, he claimed AL Rookie of the Year honors in 1996 en route to a 20-season Hall of Fame career and five World Series titles with the Yankees. Jeter's résumé also includes 14 All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers and 71.3 WAR. In 2020, he was elected to the Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the votes, second only to longtime teammate Mariano Rivera's unanimous selection a year earlier. From 2017-22, Jeter worked in an executive role as CEO for the Marlins. He joined FOX Sports as a broadcaster in 2023.

2) Willard Brown (1915)
“He was the most natural ballplayer I ever saw,” baseball icon Buck O'Neil once said of Brown, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. A speedy and power-hitting center fielder, Brown helped carry the Kansas City Monarchs to six pennants in 10 seasons. Given the nickname "Home Run" by fellow Negro Leagues slugger Josh Gibson, Brown was also a two-time Triple Crown winner in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

3) Jason Kendall (1974)
The all-time leader with 189 stolen bases as a catcher, Kendall posted a .288 batting average over 15 seasons. He also wasn't afraid to take one for the team, ranking fifth in MLB history with 254 hit-by-pitches. His best years came in Pittsburgh, where he was a three-time All-Star and slashed .306/.387/.418 over nine seasons.

4) Babe Herman (1903)
A lifetime .324 batter who hit for the cycle an MLB record-tying three times, Herman was also known for his error-prone defense and sometimes comical baserunning. In 1926 with the Brooklyn Robins, Herman famously "doubled into a double play" when he and two teammates all ended up at third base after a series of miscues. He had a .915 OPS over 13 seasons, generating 39.4 WAR while also suiting up for the Reds, Cubs, Pirates and Tigers.

5) Howie Pollet (1921)
Pollet was a three-time All-Star, posting a 3.51 ERA over 14 seasons with the Cardinals, Pirates, Cubs and White Sox. He won the NL ERA title with St. Louis in 1943 and '46, missing the two seasons in between for U.S. military service. The left-hander was also a World Series champion twice with the Cardinals.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for June 26? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.