If Your Birthday is February 9th...

...you share it with Vladimir Guerrero, Sr.  The sweet-swinging outfielder batted .318 with 449 homers over 18 seasons.  I caught my only photo of the nine-time All Star during Cactus League action in 2010, when he was a Ranger.

Logan O'Hoppe smacked 14 homers in 51 games in his Angels rookie season that was interrupted by a shoulder injury.  The Long Island, NY native was drafted by the Phillies and moved on to Anaheim in the 2022 deadline deal for Brandon Marsh.  I caught him in action earlier that summer with Reading in a AA game against Binghamton.

(Below)  Dioner Navarro caught for 13 seasons in the majors, but made only one All Star team: 2008, while with the Rays.  That summer, baseball's midsummer classic was held at Yankee Stadium and the All Star parade ran right past my office in midtown Manhattan, where I snapped this image.



 

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