Willie Mays (1979)


Date of Birth: 5/6/1931
Date of Death: 6/18/2024
Birthplace: Westfield, Alabama

Willie Mays, one of the greatest hitters and outfielders in major league baseball history, played for 22 years, with the majority of his time with the Giants (New York and San Francisco). Mays came from a family of athletes, with a father who played amateur baseball and a mother who was a field and track participant. He started his own athletic career by playing baseball in the Negro Leagues in 1948 at the age of 17.

New York Giants

In 1950, Mays was signed by the Giants and, after a little over a year in the minor leagues, he was called up to the majors in May, 1951. In his first season in the major leagues, Mays batted .274 with 127 hits, 22 doubles, 20 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 121 games. Those numbers earned him the 1951 National League Rookie of the Year award and the Sporting News Rookie of the Year award.

Mays was drafted into the army in 1952 and his professional baseball career was temporarily put on hold. Although he had limited playing time in 1952 (34 games) and no games in 1953, he maintained his baseball skills by playing baseball while in the army.

When Mays returned to the Giants in 1954, he had a stellar year, batting .345 with 195 hits, 33 doubles, 13 triples, 41 home runs, and 110 RBIs in 151 games. That season Mays won the NL MVP award and the NL batting title and he led the league in triples and in OPS with 1.078. He was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year and the Sporting News Player of the Year in 1954.

In 1955, Mays led the National League in home runs with 51, triples with 13, and OPS with 1.059. The following season, it was his speed that drew attention when he led the league in stolen bases with 40.

In 1957, Mays again led the league in triples, this time with a career high of 20 triples. He also led the league in stolen bases for the second time, a feat he would repeat two more times (1958 and 1959). He finished the season with 195 hits, 26 doubles, 35 home runs, 38 stolen bases, and a .333 batting average in 152 games. An outstanding fielder, Mays won the first of 12 consecutive Gold Gloves in 1957.

Mays had career highs in hits (208) and batting average (.347) in 1958. He led the NL in stolen bases with 31 and in OPS with 1.002. He had 33 doubles, 29 home runs, and 96 RBIs in 152 games. In 1959, he had 180 hits, a career high 43 doubles, 34 home runs, a league leading 27 stolen bases, 104 RBIs, and a .313 batting average in 151 games.

In the 1960s, Mays became one of the leading power hitters in the major leagues. He led the NL in hits in 1960 and in home runs in 1962, 1964, and 1965. He finished the 1960 season with 190 hits, 29 doubles, 29 home runs, 25 stolen bases, 103 RBIs, and a .319 batting average in 153 games.

Although Mays didn't lead the NL in any offensive areas in 1961, he still had a strong season. He batted .308 with 176 hits, 32 doubles, 40 home runs, and 123 RBIs in 154 games.

Mays played in a career high 162 games in 1962. He led the NL in home runs with 49. He finished the season with 189 hits, 36 doubles, a career high 141 RBIs, and a .304 batting average.

Mays was named the MLB All Star Game MVP in 1963, in a season when he batted .314 with 197 hits, 32 doubles, 38 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 157 games. The following season, his batting average dropped below .300 for the first time in 8 years. However, he led the NL in home runs and OPS in 1964. He had 171 hits, 21 doubles, 47 home runs, 111 RBIs, a .296 batting average, and a .990 OPS in 157 games.

In 1965, Mays again won the NL MVP award and the Sporting News Player of the Year award. That season he batted .317 with 177 hits, 21 doubles, a league and career high 52 home runs, and 112 RBIs. He led the NL in on-base percentage with .398 and in OPS with 1.043.

Although Mays continued to be a good player, his batting average started to decline in 1966. He batted .288 with 159 hits, 29 doubles, 37 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 152 games. The following season, his batting average dropped to .263. For the first time in nine years, he had under 100 RBIs in 1967. He finished the season with 128 hits, 22 doubles, 22 home runs, and 70 RBIs in 141 games.

In 1968, Mays had a better year, finishing with 144 hits, 20 doubles, 23 home runs, 79 RBIs, and a .289 batting average in 148 games. He again won the All Star Game MVP award that season.

Mays continued to play well in 1969 and 1970, batting .283 in 1969, and .291 the following year. His power numbers were down in 1969, when he had just 13 home runs. He showed more power in 1970, with 28 home runs.

In 1971, Mays led the NL in walks with a career high of 112 (to 123 strikeouts) and in on-base percentage with .425. He had 113 hits, 24 doubles, 18 home runs, 61 RBIs, and a .271 batting average in 136 games. He won the Roberto Clemente award in 1971.

New York Mets

Although Mays had a twenty year successful career with the Giants, they traded him in 1972 after just 19 games to the New York Mets. After playing in 69 games with the Mets in 1972, and 66 games in 1973, Mays ended his career as a major league player.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Rookie of the Year
  • Sporting News Rookie of the Year
  • Associated Press Athlete of the Year
  • NL MVP (2 times)
  • Sporting News Player of the Year (2 times)
  • All Star Game MVP (2 times)
  • Roberto Clemente award
  • 12 Gold Gloves
  • Led the NL in home runs (4 times)
  • Led the NL in stolen bases (4 times)
  • Led the NL in triples (3 times)
  • Led the NL in on-base percentage (2 times)
  • Led the NL in OPS (5 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Mays in 22 seasons (1951-1973) in the major leagues include:

  • 13 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 208 in 1958
  • 6 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 43 in 1959
  • 5 seasons with over 10 triples, with a high of 20 in 1957
  • 17 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 52 in 1965
  • 10 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 141 in 1962
  • 7 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 40 in 1956
  • 10 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .347 in 1958

Career batting statistics for Mays include:

  • 2,992 games played
  • 3,283 hits
  • 523 doubles
  • 140 triples
  • 660 home runs
  • 1,903 RBIs
  • 338 stolen bases
  • 1,526 strikeouts to 1,464 walks
  • .302 batting average
  • .384 on-base percentage
  • .941 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Mays as a center fielder include:

  • 2,829 games played
  • 138 errors
  • 188 assists
  • 7,038 putouts
  • .981 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Mays include:

  • 5 postseasons
  • 25 games played
  • 89 at-bats
  • 22 hits
  • 5 doubles
  • 1 home run
  • 3 stolen bases
  • 10 RBIs
  • 12 strikeouts to 10 walks
  • .247 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Mays became a hitting instructor for the New York Mets from 1973 through 1979. His next position was special assistant to the president of the San Francisco Giants. He started in that position in 1986.

Mays was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979 on the first ballot with 94.7% of the vote.

Mays died on June 18, 2024, at the age of 93.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Willie Mays
ESPN - Willie Mays
Baseball Reference - Willie Mays

Back to Top