The best baseball players born on June 25
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 25.
1) Carlos Delgado (1972)
Delgado is one of 18 players in Major League history to belt four home runs in a single game, doing so on Sept. 25, 2003, against Tampa Bay. Over 17 seasons in the Majors, Delgado belted 473 homers, becoming Puerto Rico's all-time home run king in the process. He spent a dozen years with the Blue Jays, establishing a slew of offensive records for the franchise. Delgado made two All-Star teams, picked up three Silver Slugger Awards and was the American League MVP runner-up in 2003. He had 11 seasons with at least 30 homers, nine with at least 100 RBIs and five with at least 100 runs scored. Delgado led the AL with 57 doubles in 2000 and led the AL in OPS (1.019) and Majors in RBIs (145) in 2003. When the smoke cleared on his career, the first baseman had compiled 483 doubles, 1,512 RBIs and 2,038 hits in tours with the Blue Jays, Mets and Marlins. He won the 2000 Hank Aaron Award and 2006 Roberto Clemente Award.
2) Aramis Ramirez (1978)
Third base had been a revolving door for the Cubs in the years following Ron Santo. That ended in 2003 with the arrival of Ramirez, who became a mainstay at third and in the heart of the order over nine seasons on the North Side. After coming to Chicago as part of a blockbuster trade with the Pirates, Ramirez helped the Cubs reach the playoffs three times. In '03, he belted the first postseason grand slam in Cubs history in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. In that famous seven-game showdown with the Marlins, he had three homers and seven RBIs in Chicago's losing effort. Over 18 years spent with Pittsburgh, Chicago and Milwaukee, Ramirez belted 386 homers and hit .283 (.833 OPS) with 495 doubles (he led the NL with 50 two-baggers in '12) and 2,303 hits. He had four 30-plus homer seasons and seven with 100 or more RBIs. Ramirez made three All-Star teams, picked up one Silver Slugger Award, received the 2008 NL Hank Aaron Award and was in the Top 10 for MVP voting in three seasons.
3) Joe Kuhel (1906)
Considered one of the best defensive first basemen of the 1940s, Kuhel spent 18 years in the Majors between tours with the Senators (11 seasons) and White Sox (eight). He received MVP votes in five campaigns and finished his career with a .277 average, 2,212 hits, 412 doubles, 111 triples, 131 homers and more walks (980) than strikeouts (612). His best season was 1936, when Kuhel hit .321 (.893 OPS) with 42 doubles, 66 extra-base hits, 107 runs, 118 RBIs and 189 hits. He played in the 1933 World Series and managed the Senators (1948-49) after his playing days were done.
4) Aaron Sele (1970)
Sele spent 15 seasons in the Majors between stops with the Red Sox, Angels, Mariners, Rangers, Mets and Dodgers. The righty won 148 games and finished with a 4.61 ERA in 404 career appearances. He made a pair of All-Star teams (1998 and 2000) and went 15-5 for the 2001 Seattle team that won 116 games. A first-round pick in '91, Sele began his career 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA for Boston in 1993 and went on to finish third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. He was fifth in AL Cy Young balloting in 1999, when Sele won 18 games and struck out 186 batters for Texas.
5) Alejandro Pe?a (1959)
The right-hander won an ERA title with the Dodgers (2.48 ERA in 1984) and won three World Series rings ('81 and '88 with L.A. and '95 with the Braves). He had a 2.03 ERA in 23 playoff games, and a 3.11 ERA in 503 career outings. In Game 1 of the '88 Series, Kirk Gibson pinch-hit for Pe?a (who worked the eighth and ninth) and belted his historic walk-off homer off Dennis Eckersley. The reliever picked up the win. On Sept. 11, 1991, Pe?a helped throw a combined no-hitter for Atlanta against the Padres.
Others of note:
Paul Maholm (1982)
A first-round pick by the Pirates in 2003, Maholm spent 10 seasons (seven with Pittsburgh) in the Majors. The lefty won 77 games with a 4.30 ERA in 273 outings.
Luke Scott (1978)
In nine seasons, Scott launched 135 homers between stints with the Orioles, Astros and Rays. He hit a career-best 27 in 2010.
Mike Stanley (1963)
The catcher was an All-Star (1995) and Silver Slugger Award winner (1993) in a 15-season career that included 187 homers. Stanley played for the Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox, A's and Blue Jays and hit .356 in 20 career playoff games.
Dick Drago (1945)
The right-hander logged 519 appearances (including 189 starts and 216 games finished) over a 13-year career spent with the Royals, Red Sox, Angels, Orioles and Mariners. Drago finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting in 1971, pitched in the 1975 World Series and was the last pitcher to surrender a home run to Hank Aaron (No. 755 on July 20, 1976).
Don Demeter (1935)
The center fielder played in 11 seasons in the Majors and had stops with five clubs. He won a World Series with the Dodgers in 1959 and had his best season in '62 with the Phillies, hitting .307 with 29 homers and 107 RBIs.
Want to see more baseball birthdays for June 25? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.