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 2:

1) Don Sutton (1945)
A model of consistency for 23 seasons, Sutton compiled some impressive numbers on his way to the Hall of Fame, which he was inducted into in 1998. He won 324 games, posted a 3.26 ERA and recorded 3,574 strikeouts over 774 career games (756 starts). He spent his first 15 seasons with the Dodgers, a stretch that included him being named an All-Star four times and winning the National League ERA title with a 2.20 mark in 1980. After stints with the Astros, Brewers, A's and Angels, Sutton returned to Los Angeles for a final season with the Dodgers at age 43 in 1988. He died on Jan. 18, 2021.

2) Luke Appling (1907)
Appling dealt with so many injuries during his 20-year big league career that he received the nickname "Old Aches and Pains" from his teammates. Yet, that didn't stop him from raking over his 2,422 games, all of which were played for the White Sox. A seven-time All-Star and two-time American League batting champion, Appling had a career slash line of .310/.399/.398 while collecting 2,749 hits. His top season came in 1936, when he batted an AL-best .388 and finished second in AL MVP Award voting to the Yankees' Lou Gehrig. Appling was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964, and died on Jan. 3, 1991.

3) Reggie Smith (1945)
A seven-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove winner, Smith had a solid 17-year big league career that featured stints with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers and Giants. His best season came with Los Angeles in 1977, when he led the NL in on-base percentage (.427) and OPS+ (168). Smith has stayed involved in the game following his retirement as a player, which included a stint as the Dodgers' hitting coach from 1994-98. He now runs the Reggie Smith Academy, which trains youth players in Encino, Calif. Smith was also invited by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to serve on the NL coaching staff at the 2021 All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver.

4) Hughie Jennings (1869)
No player has been hit by more pitches in AL/NL history than Jennings, who was plunked 287 times over his 18-year playing career. The closest anybody has come to that mark is Craig Biggio (285). Jennings led the NL in hit-by-pitches in five straight seasons from 1894-98, which included 51 in '96, an AL/NL single-season record. He won three straight NL championships with the Baltimore Orioles from 1894-96. He later served as the manager of the Detroit Tigers from 1907-20, also appearing in six games as a player. After dying on Feb. 1, 1928, Jennings was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.

5) Billy Pierce (1927)
Pierce was the workhorse of the White Sox pitching staff over his 13 seasons with them from 1949-61. He won the AL ERA title in 1955, with a 1.97 mark, then led the AL in complete games every year from 1956-58, going the distance 56 times over that span. A seven-time All-Star over 18 big league seasons, Pierce's No. 19 was retired by the White Sox in 1987. There's also a statue of Pierce in the Center Field Plaza at Guaranteed Rate Field. He died on July 31, 2015.

Others of note:
Austin Riley (1997)
Riley was only 24 when he helped the Braves win the World Series championship in 2021. He was an NL Silver Slugger winner that season, batting .303/.367/.531 with 33 homers and 107 RBIs in 160 games. He was an All-Star in 2022, hitting .273 with 38 homers and 93 RBIs on the season. In 2023, Riley was named All-MLB First Team for the second time in his career, was selected as an All-Star for the second time and also won his second Silver Slugger Award.

Tommy Bond (1856)
The first Irish-born player in AL/NL history, Bond had 40 or more wins in three consecutive seasons for the Boston Red Stockings from 1877-79. He also pitched more than 500 innings each of those years.

Bobby Avila (1924)
Avila was a three-time All-Star and won the AL batting title when he hit .341 for Cleveland in 1954. He slashed .281/.359/.388 over an 11-year big league career.

Jon Lieber (1970)
Lieber pitched 14 seasons in the big leagues from 1994-2008. While with the Cubs, he led the NL in innings pitched (251) in 2000, then earned his lone All-Star selection in '01, when he went 20-6 with a 3.80 ERA in 34 starts and finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for April 2? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.