Best MLB player of all time born each day of April

Niekro played a remarkable 24 seasons in MLB despite breaking in at age 24. The knuckleball pitcher won 318 games for his career with a 3.35 ERA, pitching most of his career for the Atlanta Braves. His accolades include five All-Star appearances, five Gold Gloves and induction into the Hall of Fame.

In a career that spanned from 1930-50 with the White Sox, Appling made seven All-Star appearances in his Hall of Fame career. He won two batting titles and finished second in MVP voting twice, with his best season coming in 1936 when he hit .388-6-128. For his career, he hit .310 with a .399 on-base percentage.

Moon played 12 seasons in the majors for the Cardinals and Dodgers from 1954-65, making three All-Star appearances and winning the 1954 NL Rookie of the Year. His best offensive season came in 1961 at age 31, hitting .328-17-88 with a league-best .434 on-base percentage.

While eight-time Gold Glove third baseman Scott Rolen is a potential Hall of Famer born on April 4, Tris Speaker is already in the Hall — and for good reason. The center fielder won three World Series, took home the 1912 AL MVP and won the 1916 batting title with a .386 average. Speaker also led the league in doubles eight times, and his 792 two-baggers are the most ever.

The 1960 AL Rookie of the Year with Baltimore, Hansen played 15 MLB seasons with five different teams. He was never able to top the performance of his rookie season (.255-22-86) but did hit 20 home runs once more in 1964 and made two All-Star teams.

Blyleven put together a Hall of Fame career over 22 seasons, winning 287 games with a 3.31 ERA. While he only made two All-Star appearances, Blyleven finished in the top five in Cy Young voting three times and won two World Series. A true workhorse, he threw nearly 5,000 innings for his career and led the league in innings pitched twice.

Still going strong in his 21st MLB season, Beltre is a surefire Hall of Famer after reaching 3,000 hits last season. The third baseman has also won five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. Approaching his age 39 season, Beltre is a career .287 hitter and has hit 30-plus home runs five times.

Perhaps the greatest Montreal Expos player ever, Carter was enshrined in the Hall of Fame after 11 All-Star appearances, five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves over 19 seasons. He hit 324 home runs for his career and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting four times. He also played for the Mets, Giants and Dodgers during his career that spanned from 1974-92.

A five-time All-Star during his 13-year career that spanned from 1935-47, Passeau retired with 162 wins and a 3.32 ERA between stints with Pittsburgh, the Phillies and the Cubs.

New York Giants outfielder Ross Youngs was born on April 10 and is in the Hall of Fame, but with the trajectory Corey Kluber is on, it's safe to say he's the best MLB player born on this day. Kluber is on an incredible four-year run with Cleveland, winning two AL Cy Young Awards with a 2.83 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 1,006 strikeouts over 876.1 innings and 127 starts in that span. The ace starter has three 18-win seasons over that time frame and won both the ERA and WHIP titles in 2017.

A two-time Cy Young winner with the Royals, Saberhagen played 16 MLB seasons for K.C., the Mets, Boston and Colorado. He finished his career with 167 wins and a 3.34 ERA, making two All-Star appearances, winning one ERA title and taking home the 1985 World Series MVP.

Willis pitched for the Boston Beaneaters, Pirates and Cardinals from 1898-1910 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He had 249 career wins and a 2.63 ERA. Arguably his best season was 1902, when Willis led the league in games started (46), complete games (45), innings (410) and strikeouts (225) while posting 27 wins and a 2.20 ERA.

Hendrix had a 10-year career with the Pirates, Chicago Chi-Feds and Chicago Cubs from 1911-20. He had an amazing 29-10 record with a 1.69 ERA in 1914 and finished his career with a 2.65 ERA.

One of the greatest pitchers of his era, Maddux was inducted into the Hall of Fame after an incredible career that include four Cy Young Awards, four ERA titles, eight All-Star appearances and 18 Gold Gloves. He retired after 23 seasons with 355 wins and a 3.16 ERA despite pitching much of his career in the steroid era. Hit king Pete Rose was also born on April 14, making for quite a defense-offense duo born on this day.

Davis had an excellent 18-year career with the Dodgers, Expos, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres and Angels, beginning in 1960. He was a two-time World Series champion, also winning three Gold Gloves and making two All-Star appearances. The speedy outfielder led the league in triples twice and retired as a .279 career hitter.

A Hall of Fame right fielder who played from 1926-45, Waner won the 1927 MVP after leading the league in batting average (.380), hits (237), triples (18) and RBI (131). He won two additional batting titles during his career and finished second in the MVP voting in 1934. Waner was a .333 career hitter with a .404 on-base percentage. Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado was also born on April 16 and has the makings of a Hall of Fame career so far.

Anson's playing career spanned from 1871-97, playing mostly in Chicago. He led the league in RBI eight times and won four batting titles, including a .399 batting average in 1881. The Hall of Famer also served as a player/manager for 20 seasons.

Arguably the best hitter of his era, Cabrera has won two AL MVP Awards and was the AL Triple Crown winner in 2012 after hitting .330-44-139. He's won four batting titles and also led the AL in on-base percentage four times and slugging percentage twice. Now 15 seasons into his career, Cabrera has 462 home runs and a .317 batting average. Hall of Famer right fielder and first baseman Sam Crawford was also born on April 18, though owns considerably less accolades than Cabrera, a surefire future HOFer in his own right.

Mauer was the first overall pick in the 2001 draft and was on a Hall of Fame trajectory until moving from catcher to first base full time in 2014 due to concussions. He still has a shot after winning one MVP, three batting titles, three Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers in his first 14 MLB seasons.

A Hall of Famer after a 16-year playing career, Bancroft won two World Series and was a career .279 hitter with the Philies, Giants, Braves and Brooklyn Robins from 1915-30. He also served as a player/manager during four years of his career with the Braves. Interestingly, current Marlins manager and former Yankees great Don Mattingly was also born on April 20.

Caminiti had a strong 15-year career from 1987-01. He made three All-Star appearances and won the 1996 NL MVP with the Padres, hitting .326-40-130 with a 1.028 OPS. He also made won three Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger.

A four-time All-Star, Key fell just short of winning the Cy Young Award three times during his 15-year career. The lefty won the ERA title in 1987 with a 2.76 ERA and had double-digit wins 12 times during his career. He played for the Blue Jays, Yankees and Orioles, wining two World Series.

One of the greatest left-handed pitchers ever, Spahn made 17 All-Star appearances during his 21-year Hall of Fame career. His accomplishments include three ERA titles, leading the league in complete games nine times and 13 20-plus win seasons. He retired with 363 wins and a 3.09 ERA, taking home one Cy Young and a World Series title.

Jones was the face of the Braves during their incredible streak of 11 straight division titles from 1995-05, as he put together a Hall of Fame career. He retired after 19 seasons with a career .303/.401/.529 triple slash and 468 home runs. Jones was the 1999 NL MVP and an eight-time All-Star, also taking home two Silver Sluggers, a batting title and winning the 1995 World Series.

An extremely versatile player from 1982-99, the often underappreciated Phillips had a career .374 on-base percentage and 50.9 WAR. His career highlights include five seasons with more than 100 walks and a 27-homer season in 1995 with the Angels. He also played for Oakland, Detroit, the White Sox, Mets and Toronto.

Wilson infamously holds the MLB single-season RBI record, driving in 191 runs with the Cubs in 1930. During that season he also led the league in home runs (56), walks (105) and OPS (1.177). Wilson managed to lead the league in home runs three other times and is enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

One of the greatest baseball players ever, Hornsby won an incredible seven batting titles, two MVPs and two Triple Crowns during his 23-year career. He retired with an amazing .358/.434/.577 triple slash, 2,930 hits and 301 home runs while playing from 1915-37.

Larkin was one of the main reasons for Reds fans to show up to the ballpark during his 19-year career with the team. He won the 1995 NL MVP after hitting .319-15-66 with 51 steals and followed up that campaign by hitting .298-33-89 with 36 steals in 1996. Larkin made 12 All-Star appearances, often alongside Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith, and was a nine-time Silver Slugger winner, three-time Gold Glove winner and claimed the 1990 World Series with the Reds.

Aparicio was inducted into the Hall of Fame after his 18-year carer with the White Sox, Orioles and Red Sox. He led the AL in steals in his first nine seasons, retiring with 506 career stolen bases. Aparicio was also the 1956 AL Rookie of the Year and won nine Gold Gloves, making 13 All-Star appearances and winning one World Series. 

A player for the A's, Pirates, Astros, Dodgers and Giants from 1973-88 before later becoming a manager, Garner was a three-time All-Star. Nicknamed "Scrap Iron" for his play on the field, Garner had 225 career stolen bases and 109 home runs. Garner managed 15 seasons in MLB for the Brewers, Tigers and Astros, winning the 2005 NL pennant in Houston.