Merrill May
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1943)
Merrill May was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1943 for the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 5 seasons. In 665 career games, he hit .275 with 610 hits, 4 home runs, and 215 RBI. Merrill May was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 150.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 165 lb
- Died
- 9/4/2000 in Corydon, IN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1939-04-21
- Last Game
- 1943-10-03
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Merrill Glend May
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 665 | 2,215 | 210 | 610 | 102 | 11 | 4 | 215 | 13 | 261 | 121 | .275 | .354 | .337 | .691 | 150 |
Career AVG .275 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .354 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.
Career SLG .337 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 8.9% below league average.
Career OPS .691 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | PHI | NL | 135 | 464 | 49 | 133 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 62 | 4 | 41 | 20 | .287 | .274 (+5%) | .342 (+1%) | .393 (-6%) | .735 (-3%) | -174.7 |
| 1940 | PHI | NL | 136 | 501 | 59 | 147 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 2 | 58 | 33 | .293 | .267 (+10%) | .335 (+11%) | .387 (-8%) | .722 (avg) | 267.7 |
| 1941 | PHI | NL | 142 | 490 | 46 | 131 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 2 | 55 | 30 | .267 | .262 (+2%) | .332 (+3%) | .373 (-15%) | .705 (-6%) | -357.4 |
| 1942 | PHI | NL | 115 | 345 | 25 | 82 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 51 | 17 | .238 | .253 (-6%) | .323 (+4%) | .349 (-20%) | .672 (-8%) | -265.7 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 137 | 415 | 31 | 117 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 2 | 56 | 21 | .282 | .255 (+10%) | .324 (+13%) | .346 (-1%) | .671 (+6%) | 680.1 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 665 | 2,215 | 210 | 610 | 102 | 11 | 4 | 215 | 13 | 261 | 121 | .275 | — | — | — | — | 150 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (666 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 321 | 1040 | 102 | 279 | 0 | 94 | .268 |
| Away | 345 | 1174 | 108 | 331 | 4 | 118 | .282 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-10-03 | PHI | PIT | W | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-10-03 | PHI | PIT | W | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-09-29 | PHI | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-09-28 | PHI | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-09-28 | PHI | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-09-27 | PHI | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1943-09-26 | PHI | STL | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-09-26 | PHI | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-09-25 | PHI | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-09-24 | PHI | CHC | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 648 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana University-Bloomington | Bloomington | IN | 1930, 1931, 1932 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 29th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Merrill May (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Merrill May: the record in brief
Merrill May's major league career runs from a debut on April 21, 1939 to a final game on October 3, 1943. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Phillies (1939 through 1942) and the Philadelphia Blue Jays (1943). May, a third baseman by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. May is listed at 5 feet, 11 inches and 165 pounds. May was born on January 18, 1911, in Laconia, IN, USA. The bio records the death on September 4, 2000, in Corydon, IN, USA. May's full given name, per the bio, is Merrill Glend May.
In 665 games and 2,215 at bats, May batted .275 with 610 hits, adding 4 home runs and 215 RBI. May's career OPS of .691 combines a .354 on-base mark with .337 slugging. Against a .263 league average for those years, May's .275 average was near the norm. 1940 produced May's most hits, 147 of them for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Frequently Asked Questions about Merrill May
- What years did Merrill May play?
- Merrill May played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1943.
- Was Merrill May a pitcher?
- No. Merrill May was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Merrill May hit?
- Merrill May hit 4 career home runs with 610 hits.
- What was Merrill May's career batting average?
- Merrill May batted .275 over his career, with 610 hits in 2,215 at bats.
- How many RBI did Merrill May have?
- Merrill May drove in 215 runs in his career.
- Is Merrill May in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Merrill May has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.