Lee May
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1982)
Lee May was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1982 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 18 seasons. In 2,071 career games, he hit .267 with 2,031 hits, 354 home runs, and 1,244 RBI. Lee May was a 3-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 14,353.
- 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
- 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
Lee May: the record in brief
Lee May played a first major league game on September 1, 1965 and a last one on September 24, 1982. The season rows list, in order, the Cincinnati Reds (1965 to 1971), the Houston Astros (1972 through 1974), the Baltimore Orioles (1975 through 1980), and the Kansas City Royals (1981 through 1982). At 6'3" and 195 pounds, May is listed as a first baseman. The bio says May batted and threw right-handed. May was born on March 23, 1943, in Birmingham, AL, USA. May died on July 29, 2017, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. May's full given name, per the bio, is Lee Andrew May.
May collected 2,031 hits in 7,609 at bats across 2,071 games, good for a .267 batting average; the totals also include 354 homers, 1,244 RBI, and 39 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .313 clip and slugging .459, May finished with a .772 OPS. May hit .267 while the league hit .254 over the same span, a figure close to average.
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.
- What was Lee May's career batting average?
- Lee May batted .267 over his career, with 2,031 hits in 7,609 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lee May have?
- Lee May drove in 1,244 runs in his career.
- Is Lee May in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lee May has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.