Dave May

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1967-1978)

Dave May was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1978 for 5 teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,252 career games, he hit .251 with 920 hits, 96 home runs, and 422 RBI. Dave May was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,127.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .251
HR 96
RBI 422
H 920
OPS .694
PIV 1,127
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 186 lb
Born
12/23/1943 in New Castle, DE, USA
Died
10/20/2012 in Bear, DE, USA
MLB Debut
1967-07-28
Last Game
1978-10-01
Awards
All-Star

Full name: David LaFrance May

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Dave May — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,252 3,670 462 920 130 20 96 422 60 344 501 .251 .318 .375 .694 1,127

Career AVG .251 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .318 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .375 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .694 vs. league average .690 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave May Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1967 BAL AL 36 85 12 20 1 1 1 7 0 6 13 .235 .242 (-3%) .306 (-7%) .357 (-14%) .663 (-11%) -134.1
1968 BAL AL 84 152 15 29 6 3 0 7 3 19 27 .191 .236 (-19%) .298 (-5%) .340 (-21%) .638 (-13%) -256.2
1969 BAL AL 78 120 8 29 6 0 3 10 2 9 23 .242 .248 (-3%) .320 (-5%) .369 (-1%) .689 (-3%) -49.0
1970 BAL AL 25 31 6 6 0 1 1 6 0 4 4 .194 — — — — 0.0
1970 ML4 AL 100 342 36 82 8 1 7 31 8 44 56 .240 .253 (-6%) .325 (+1%) .385 (-14%) .711 (-7%) 0.0
1971 ML4 AL 144 501 74 139 20 3 16 65 15 50 59 .277 .249 (+11%) .316 (+8%) .365 (+16%) .682 (+13%) 1205.9
1972 ML4 AL 143 500 49 119 20 2 9 45 11 47 56 .238 .243 (-2%) .310 (-1%) .353 (-4%) .664 (-3%) -182.8
1973 ML4 AL 156 624 96 189 23 4 25 93 6 44 78 .303 .256 (+18%) .325 (+8%) .378 (+25%) .703 (+17%) 2020.9
1974 ML4 AL 135 477 56 108 15 1 10 42 4 28 73 .226 .256 (-12%) .324 (-16%) .369 (-12%) .693 (-14%) -1059.7
1975 ATL NL 82 203 28 56 8 0 12 40 1 25 27 .276 .257 (+7%) .327 (+10%) .374 (+32%) .701 (+22%) 811.5
1976 ATL NL 105 214 27 46 5 3 3 23 5 26 31 .215 .255 (-16%) .320 (-6%) .360 (-15%) .681 (-11%) -324.2
1977 TEX AL 120 340 46 82 14 1 7 42 4 32 43 .241 .264 (-9%) .329 (-5%) .401 (-13%) .730 (-9%) -490.2
1978 ML4 AL 39 77 9 15 4 0 2 11 0 9 10 .195 .257 (-24%) .323 (-9%) .378 (-14%) .702 (-12%) -123.5
1978 PIT NL 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 .000 — — — — -123.5
Career · 14 seasons 1,252 3,670 462 920 130 20 96 422 60 344 501 .251 — — — — 1,295

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Dave May — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Dave May — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1969 ALCS BAL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1969 WS BAL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1252 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Dave May — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home624178621942540209.238
Away628188424349556213.263

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dave May — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1978-10-01 PITPHIW 000000010
1978-09-30 PITPHIL 100000000
1978-09-24 PITWSNL 100000001
1978-09-21 PITCHCW 100000000
1978-09-19 PITCHCW 100000000
1978-09-08 MILMINW 300000000
1978-09-04 MILSEAL 100000001
1978-09-01 MILTEXL 100000000
1978-08-28 MILDETW 401000200
1978-08-27 MILDETL 101100100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dave May — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1021 888 2177 68 50 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dave May — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1967 BAL OF 19 17 30 1 1 0
1968 BAL OF 61 35 62 1 1 0
1969 BAL OF 40 19 43 4 3 0
1970 BAL OF 9 3 5 0 0 0
1970 ML4 OF 99 92 255 6 3 0
1971 ML4 OF 142 137 342 10 9 3
1972 ML4 OF 138 131 376 9 6 3
1973 ML4 OF 152 151 401 9 9 3
1974 ML4 OF 121 113 249 10 3 2
1975 ATL OF 53 46 103 3 4 2
1976 ATL OF 60 47 98 5 3 1
1977 TEX OF 111 83 181 8 6 2
1978 ML4 OF 16 14 32 2 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dave May Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Left Field 85
Center Field 542
Right Field 414
Designated Hitter 23

Award Voting History

Dave May — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1973 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 65.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Dave May (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mike Lum
    .247 avg, 90 HR
  2. 75
    Ed Kirkpatrick
    .238 avg, 85 HR
  3. 72
    Mike Devereaux
    .254 avg, 105 HR
  4. 72
    Lee Thomas
    .255 avg, 106 HR
  5. 71
    George Metkovich
    .261 avg, 47 HR
  6. 68
    Jerry Morales
    .259 avg, 95 HR

Dave May: the record in brief

According to the bio, Dave May debuted on July 28, 1967 and played a final game on October 1, 1978. The season rows list, in order, the Baltimore Orioles (1967 through 1970), the Milwaukee Brewers (1970 through 1978), the Atlanta Braves (1975 through 1976), the Texas Rangers (1977), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1978). At 5 feet, 10 inches and 186 pounds, May is listed as an outfielder. The bio says May threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded birth is December 23, 1943, in New Castle, DE, USA. May died on October 20, 2012, in Bear, DE, USA. Dave May was the playing name; the full given name is David LaFrance.

May's career batting table shows 1,252 games, 3,670 at bats and 920 hits, a .251 average, along with 96 home runs, 422 runs batted in, and 60 stolen bases. May's career OPS of .694 combines a .318 on-base mark with .375 slugging. The .251 career average is close to the .252 the league hit across the same seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave May

What years did Dave May play?
Dave May played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1978.
Was Dave May a pitcher?
No. Dave May was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Dave May hit?
Dave May hit 96 career home runs with 920 hits.
What was Dave May's career batting average?
Dave May batted .251 over his career, with 920 hits in 3,670 at bats.
How many RBI did Dave May have?
Dave May drove in 422 runs in his career.
Is Dave May in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dave May has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.