Interesting Baseball Birthdays for April 14

Several interesting baseball players were born on April 14. They include (with some overlapping):

• Three members of the 1990s Atlanta Braves dynasty, including two born in the same year.
• Two players who were born in Cincinnati, won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, and whose last names can be found in the phrase Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird. (She served in office in California from 1977 until 1987, having lost a reconfirmation vote in November 1986.)
• Two Jewish catchers born in consecutive years, one of them on Easter Sunday.

Here is more information on them:

The 1990s Atlanta Braves:

Outfielder David Justice was born in Cincinnati on April 14, 1966. He debuted with the Braves in 1989 but did not play enough games or accumulate enough plate appearances to lose his rookie status. In 1990, still a rookie, he hit .282 with 28 home runs and 78 RBIs, enough to receive the NL Rookie of the Year award. He continued to star with the Braves through 1996, making the NL All Star team in 1993 and 1994. He was then traded to the Cleveland Indians before the 1997 and made the American League All Star team that year. He stayed with Cleveland until the middle of the 2000 season, when he was traded to the New York Yankees. After the 2001 season, he was traded across town to the New York Mets, but a week later, he was traded to the Oakland A's. The 2002 season in Oakland was his last in the major leagues.

Lefthander Steve Avery, born on April 14, 1970, joined the Braves at the age of 20 in 1990. In his first game, he lasted only 2 1/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds, giving up 8 earned runs. 1990 was the last year the Braves were a bad team that often finished last in the NL West. In 1991, the Braves improved to finish first, and Avery was a major reason. He finished 18-8 with a 3.38 ERA and 137 strikeouts. It looked like Avery, Tom Glavine, and John Smolz would form a "Big Three" starting rotation for years to come in Atlanta. But after an All Star season in 1993, his career went downhill, partly due to injuries. He left the Braves as a free agent after the 1996 season and signed with the Boston Red Sox. After two seasons in Boston, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent one season. He did not play in the major or minor leagues in either 2001 or 2002, but he made a brief comeback with the Detroit Tigers in 2003. He posted a 2-0 record for a team that lost 119 games that year, but that was his last big league season.

Righthander Greg Maddux, also born on April 14, 1966, began his major league career with the Chicago Cubs. From 1986 through 1992, he made two All Star teams and showed other signs of becoming a star pitcher. After the 1992 season, he became a free agent and signed with the Braves. Briefly, he formed a "Big Four" with Avery, Glavine, and Smolz, but after Avery's decline, his presence still gave the team a "Big Three". He led the league in ERA his first three seasons in Atlanta and led the league in several other categories during his years in Atlanta, which stretched from 1993-2003. He was an All Star every year from 1994-1998 and in 2000. After becoming a free agent following the 2003 season, he returned to the Cubs. In the middle of the 2006 season, the Cubs traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After the 2006 season, he became a free agent again and signed with the San Diego Padres, He returned to the Dodgers late in the 2008 season, after which he retired.

Maddux is the only player born on April 14 in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I strongly feel that he should not be, which brings us to the next category.

Cincinnati natives who won the NL Rookie of the Year Award and whose last names can be found in Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird:

I've already mentioned David Justice.

Pete Rose is baseball's all-time hit leader with 4,256. He also leads in games played with 3,562, plate appearances with 15, 890, and official at-bats with 14,053. He began his career with his hometown Reds in 1963 and finished with the Reds in 1986, having served as player-manager for the last two. He managed the Reds for three more years. He played for the Reds from 1963-1978, the Philadelphia Philles from 1979-1983, the Montreal Expos in 1984, and the Reds again in 1985-1986. He was an All Star 17 times. As someone who is not big on punishments, lifetime bans, tough love, and disqualifications, I strongly feel that Pete Rose must go into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jewish catchers born in consecutive years:

Jesse Levis was born in Philadelphia on April 14, 1968 (Easter Sunday). He was drafted by his hometown Phillies after high school but decided to play college baseball at the University of North Carolina instead. Three years later, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians and signed with them. He made his debut in 1992 and shuttled between the Tribe and AAA between then and 1995. Cleveland had Sandy Alomar, Jr., as its first string catcher then, and it was difficult for other catchers to get playing time for the team. Levis was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers (then still in the AL) before the 1996 season. He held down the first-string catcher spot until he was injured in May 1998. He had brief re-appearances with the Indians in 1999 and the Brewers in 2001 before his major league career ended, although he was still playing in the minors in 2003.

(The name Jesse Levis contains the name of one of twin sons born to Mrs. Gladys Presley on January 8, 1935, and an anagram of the name of the other twin son.)

Brad Ausmus, born on April 14, 1969, had a much more substantial career as a predominantly first-string catcher. He played for the San Diego Padres from 1993-mid-1996, then the Detroit Tigers for the remainder of 1996 and 1999-2000, the Houston Astros from 1997-1998 and 2001-2008, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009-2010. He was an All Star in 1999. In 12 of his 18 seasons, he caught in 100 or more games. After his playing career was done, he managed the Tigers from 2014-2017 and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2019.

Happy birthday to all of the players who are celebrating today!