If Your Birthday is May 20th...

...you share it with Jayson Werth. The power-hitting outfielder whose hair and beard seemingly grew longer year-by-year was a late bloomer. Once a top Blue Jays then Dodgers prospect, the Phillies picked him up after he missed 2006 with a serious wrist injury. From that point, he rose to stardom on four consecutive NL East winners -- highlighted by the 2008 Worlds Championship. The love from Philadelphia fans turned to hate when he signed a seven-year nine-figure contract to jump to the division-rival Nationals, where, between injuries and inconsistency, he only authored two impressive seasons.
Werth sprouts from an impressive family tree: his grandfather and uncle, both named Dick Schofield, were both longtime infielders; and his stepfather Dennis Werth saw time in the majors with the Yankees and Royals.

Also on our cake and candles parade:


Austin Kearns, a power-hitting righty outfielder who never hit enough to remain a regular. Still, he popped 121 home runs over a dozen seasons, mostly with the Reds and Nats.

Tony Sanchez, the onetime Pirates 1st round draft pick who never lived up to expectations. I first saw him catching for Double A Altoona in 2010. After debuting with Pittsburgh three years later, his big league career consisted of just 52 games.

David Wells enjoyed his 21 years in the majors. The hard partying lefty reached his peak with the Yankees, averaging 17 wins a season -- highlighted by his Mothers Day 1998 perfect game against the Twins.

Todd Stottlemyre spent 13 seasons in the majors, winning in double digits eight times. His family is also well represented in the majors: his father Mel was the beloved Yankees ace of the mid '60s and early '70s, who enjoyed an even longer second career as a pitching coach, while his brother Mel, Jr reached the majors with the 1990 Royals.

And we remember:

Ken Boyer was as beloved as any Cardinal of the 1950s and '60s not named Stan. The Western Missouri native -- one of three brothers who played in the majors -- starred for 11 seasons on the other side of the state, and reached his peak in 1964, winning the National League MVP on the Redbirds club that beat the Yankees in a thrilling seven game World Series. He also spent a couple of seasons as his old club's manager, working with future stars such as Keith Hernandez and Garry Templeton, but was replaced in 1980 by Whitey Herzog. Lung cancer took him at the young age of 51 in 1982; two years later, the Cardinals retired his number-14.

Bobby Murcer came to the Yankees in the mid 1960s with huge expectations, just as the Berra-Ford-Mantle dynasty was about to crumble. The likeable Oklahoman, like his predecessor in center field, came to thrive in New York and was crushed when the club swapped him to the Giants for Bobby Bonds. Returning in 1979, as a backup and DH, he'll be remembered for delivering the eulogy at Thurman Munson's funeral in Ohio and then driving all five runs that evening in an emotional win over the Orioles. Murcer smoothly moved into the broadcast booth a few years later and spent 25 years behind the microphones (and, as noted in his memoir, worked with 31 different partners on radio and TV) until his death from brain cancer in 2008.