If Your Birthday is November 23rd...


...you share it with one of the most impressive hitters among the current free agent crop, Justin Turner. Yet three winters ago, he was a man without a job. The Mets let him go at the end of the 2013 season, a puzzling decision you suspect Sandy Alderson would like to rescind. To be fair, Turner hadn't given many signals that he was about to burst into stardom.
But he did. He hit .340 his first season in L.A., and then began ramping up the power with 16 and 27 homers the last two years. Settling in as Dave Roberts' regular at 3rd base, Turner finished 9th in the voting for NL MVP.
Justin shares November 23rd with:
  • Jonathan Papelbon: the moody but generally effective closer for the Red Sox, Phillies and Nationals.
  • Adam Eaton: the "other one," a pitcher remembered mainly as a Padre and Phillie. 71 victories over 10 major league seasons.
  • Aaron Small: if you look up the word "journeyman," you might see his picture next to the entry. After bouncing through six major league organizations, he enjoyed the year of his life with the 2005 Yankees. Between starting and relieving, he was a perfect 10 - 0. But like Cinderella's coach, he reverted to pumpkin status in '06. After running up an ERA just about 8-1/2 through 11 appearances, he was sent to the minors, never to surface again -- except at Old Timers Day in the Bronx.
  • Luis Tiant, the Cuban emigre righthander who won 229 games over 19 seasons, starring for the Indians and Red Sox. Look at all the players born on this date -- none have yet been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame; Tiant's numbers make the case that he's the best player born on November 23rd. A side note: one of the restaurants on the outside of Fenway Park is named in his honor.

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