Lee May, baseball player, 354 home runs, 1965-1982

Lee May

⭐ Hall of Fame 2009

Born: 3/23/1943 in Birmingham, AL, USA

Died: 7/29/2017 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-09-01 | Final Game: 1982-09-24

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Lee Andrew May

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Biography

Lee May, born in 1943, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1965 to 1982. He played in a total of 2,071 games and established himself as a formidable hitter, amassing 2,031 hits and 354 home runs. May was known for his power at the plate, which translated into an impressive 1,244 RBIs and a career batting average of .267. His ability to drive in runs made him a key offensive contributor throughout his tenure in the league, and he showcased his speed with 39 stolen bases. May's impact on the game was recognized through several accolades, including being named the TSN Rookie Player of the Year and earning three selections to the All-Star Game. His career achievements culminated in his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2009, a testament to his significant contributions to baseball during an era that witnessed a transition in the game, including the growing emphasis on power hitting. Lee May's legacy continues to resonate, as he remains an influential figure in the history of the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2071 7609 959 2031 340 31 354 1244 39 487 1570 0.267 0.313 0.459 0.772 14160.3

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG PIV
1965 CIN NL 5 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 0.0
1966 CIN NL 25 75 14 25 5 1 2 10 0 0 14 0.333 224.7
1967 CIN NL 127 438 54 116 29 2 12 57 4 19 80 0.265 654.0
1968 CIN NL 146 559 78 162 32 1 22 80 4 34 100 0.290 2486.4
1969 CIN NL 158 607 85 169 32 3 38 110 5 45 142 0.278 2627.7
1970 CIN NL 153 605 78 153 34 2 34 94 1 38 125 0.253 870.5
1971 CIN NL 147 553 85 154 17 3 39 98 3 42 135 0.278 2608.6
1972 HOU NL 148 592 87 168 31 2 29 98 3 52 145 0.284 2689.4
1973 HOU NL 148 545 65 147 24 3 28 105 1 34 122 0.270 993.5
1974 HOU NL 152 556 59 149 26 0 24 85 1 17 97 0.268 369.6
1975 BAL AL 146 580 67 152 28 3 20 99 1 36 91 0.262 294.8
1976 BAL AL 148 530 61 137 17 4 25 109 4 41 104 0.258 965.5
1977 BAL AL 150 585 75 148 16 2 27 99 2 38 119 0.253 -293.1
1978 BAL AL 148 556 56 137 16 1 25 80 5 31 110 0.246 -190.2
1979 BAL AL 124 456 59 116 15 0 19 69 3 28 100 0.254 -328.6
1980 BAL AL 78 222 20 54 10 2 7 31 2 15 53 0.243 -204.6
1981 KCR AL 26 55 3 16 3 0 0 8 0 3 14 0.291 -19.0
1982 KCR AL 42 91 12 28 5 2 3 12 0 14 18 0.308 411.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 38 6 10 3 0 2 11 4 8 0.263

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 AWDIV KCA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1979 ALCS BAL 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 3 0.143
1979 WS BAL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000
1970 NLCS CIN 3 12 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 2 0.167
1970 WS CIN 5 18 6 7 2 0 2 8 2 2 0.389

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

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