Lee May
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1982)
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 195 lb
- Died
- 7/29/2017 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1965-09-01
- Last Game
- 1982-09-24
- Awards
- 3× All-Star
Full name: Lee Andrew May
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,071 | 7,609 | 959 | 2,031 | 340 | 31 | 354 | 1,244 | 39 | 487 | 1,570 | .267 | .313 | .459 | .772 | 14,353 |
Career AVG .267 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .313 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .459 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +22.6% above league average.
Career OPS .772 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — +11.1% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | CIN | NL | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | CIN | NL | 25 | 75 | 14 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .333 | .248 (+34%) | .309 (+8%) | .376 (+35%) | .685 (+22%) | 224.7 |
| 1967 | CIN | NL | 127 | 438 | 54 | 116 | 29 | 2 | 12 | 57 | 4 | 19 | 80 | .265 | .242 (+9%) | .306 (avg) | .357 (+18%) | .663 (+10%) | 654.0 |
| 1968 | CIN | NL | 146 | 559 | 78 | 162 | 32 | 1 | 22 | 80 | 4 | 34 | 100 | .290 | .236 (+22%) | .298 (+13%) | .340 (+38%) | .638 (+26%) | 2486.4 |
| 1969 | CIN | NL | 158 | 607 | 85 | 169 | 32 | 3 | 38 | 110 | 5 | 45 | 142 | .278 | .248 (+12%) | .320 (+3%) | .369 (+43%) | .689 (+25%) | 2627.7 |
| 1970 | CIN | NL | 153 | 605 | 78 | 153 | 34 | 2 | 34 | 94 | 1 | 38 | 125 | .253 | .253 (avg) | .325 (-9%) | .385 (+26%) | .711 (+10%) | 870.5 |
| 1971 | CIN | NL | 147 | 553 | 85 | 154 | 17 | 3 | 39 | 98 | 3 | 42 | 135 | .278 | .249 (+12%) | .316 (+5%) | .365 (+46%) | .682 (+27%) | 2608.6 |
| 1972 | HOU | NL | 148 | 592 | 87 | 168 | 31 | 2 | 29 | 98 | 3 | 52 | 145 | .284 | .243 (+16%) | .310 (+10%) | .353 (+38%) | .664 (+25%) | 2689.4 |
| 1973 | HOU | NL | 148 | 545 | 65 | 147 | 24 | 3 | 28 | 105 | 1 | 34 | 122 | .270 | .256 (+5%) | .325 (-5%) | .378 (+26%) | .703 (+12%) | 993.5 |
| 1974 | HOU | NL | 152 | 556 | 59 | 149 | 26 | 0 | 24 | 85 | 1 | 17 | 97 | .268 | .256 (+4%) | .324 (-9%) | .369 (+20%) | .693 (+6%) | 369.6 |
| 1975 | BAL | AL | 146 | 580 | 67 | 152 | 28 | 3 | 20 | 99 | 1 | 36 | 91 | .262 | .257 (+2%) | .327 (-6%) | .374 (+13%) | .701 (+4%) | 294.8 |
| 1976 | BAL | AL | 148 | 530 | 61 | 137 | 17 | 4 | 25 | 109 | 4 | 41 | 104 | .258 | .255 (+1%) | .320 (-3%) | .360 (+24%) | .681 (+11%) | 965.5 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 150 | 585 | 75 | 148 | 16 | 2 | 27 | 99 | 2 | 38 | 119 | .253 | .264 (-4%) | .329 (-10%) | .401 (+6%) | .730 (-1%) | -229.4 |
| 1978 | BAL | AL | 148 | 556 | 56 | 137 | 16 | 1 | 25 | 80 | 5 | 31 | 110 | .246 | .257 (-4%) | .323 (-11%) | .378 (+9%) | .702 (avg) | -149.3 |
| 1979 | BAL | AL | 124 | 456 | 59 | 116 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 69 | 3 | 28 | 100 | .254 | .265 (-4%) | .329 (-10%) | .397 (+4%) | .727 (-3%) | -267.2 |
| 1980 | BAL | AL | 78 | 222 | 20 | 54 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 31 | 2 | 15 | 53 | .243 | .264 (-8%) | .326 (-12%) | .387 (+3%) | .714 (-3%) | -178.8 |
| 1981 | KCA | AL | 26 | 55 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 14 | .291 | .255 (+14%) | .320 (+2%) | .368 (-6%) | .688 (-2%) | -18.1 |
| 1982 | KCA | AL | 42 | 91 | 12 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 18 | .308 | .261 (+18%) | .324 (+21%) | .388 (+30%) | .712 (+26%) | 411.3 |
| Career · 18 seasons | 2,071 | 7,609 | 959 | 2,031 | 340 | 31 | 354 | 1,244 | 39 | 487 | 1,570 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 14,353 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2071 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1046 | 3774 | 493 | 1044 | 179 | 640 | .277 |
| Away | 1025 | 3835 | 466 | 987 | 175 | 604 | .257 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-09-24 | KCR | OAK | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-20 | KCR | LAA | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-09-19 | KCR | MIN | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982-09-18 | KCR | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-15 | KCR | SEA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982-09-07 | KCR | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982-08-27 | KCR | CHW | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982-08-23 | KCR | TEX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-08-22 | KCR | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-08-20 | KCR | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1507 | 1468 | 12885 | 894 | 88 | 1235 |
| OF | 88 | 74 | 144 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | CIN | 1B | 16 | 16 | 132 | 9 | 4 | 15 |
| 1967 | CIN | 1B | 81 | 68 | 621 | 43 | 4 | 49 |
| 1967 | CIN | OF | 48 | 47 | 82 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1968 | CIN | 1B | 122 | 112 | 1040 | 70 | 5 | 86 |
| 1968 | CIN | OF | 33 | 24 | 54 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | CIN | 1B | 156 | 154 | 1387 | 102 | 11 | 128 |
| 1969 | CIN | OF | 7 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | CIN | 1B | 153 | 153 | 1362 | 109 | 10 | 143 |
| 1971 | CIN | 1B | 143 | 143 | 1261 | 78 | 8 | 118 |
| 1972 | HOU | 1B | 146 | 146 | 1318 | 76 | 6 | 133 |
| 1973 | HOU | 1B | 144 | 144 | 1220 | 78 | 9 | 112 |
| 1974 | HOU | 1B | 145 | 143 | 1253 | 88 | 8 | 116 |
| 1975 | BAL | 1B | 144 | 142 | 1312 | 106 | 10 | 138 |
| 1976 | BAL | 1B | 94 | 93 | 722 | 62 | 3 | 61 |
| 1977 | BAL | 1B | 110 | 108 | 907 | 56 | 5 | 101 |
| 1978 | BAL | 1B | 4 | 4 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 1979 | BAL | 1B | 2 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1980 | BAL | 1B | 7 | 6 | 57 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 1981 | KCA | 1B | 8 | 7 | 63 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 1982 | KCA | 1B | 32 | 27 | 175 | 10 | 2 | 18 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1504 |
| Left Field | 49 |
| Right Field | 41 |
| Designated Hitter | 417 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Player of the Week | Week of 1975-04-18 |
| 1974 | Player of the Week | Week of 1974-05-03 |
| 1971 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1967 | TSN Rookie Player of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 9th | 51.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 28th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1973 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1972 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 9th | 30.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1971 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 28.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 30th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lee May (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Lee May
Frequently Asked Questions about Lee May
- What years did Lee May play?
- Lee May played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1982.
- Was Lee May a pitcher?
- No. Lee May was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Lee May hit?
- Lee May hit 354 career home runs with 2031 hits.