Milt May
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1984)
Milt May was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,192 career games, he hit .263 with 971 hits, 77 home runs, and 443 RBI.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1970-09-08
- Last Game
- 1984-09-30
Full name: Milton Scott May
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,192 | 3,693 | 313 | 971 | 147 | 11 | 77 | 443 | 4 | 305 | 361 | .263 | .318 | .371 | .689 | -1,110 |
Career AVG .263 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .371 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .689 vs. league average .703 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | PIT | NL | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | PIT | NL | 49 | 126 | 15 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 16 | .278 | .249 (+11%) | .316 (+1%) | .365 (+17%) | .682 (+10%) | 180.2 |
| 1972 | PIT | NL | 57 | 139 | 12 | 39 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 13 | .281 | .243 (+15%) | .310 (+4%) | .353 (avg) | .664 (+2%) | 23.0 |
| 1973 | PIT | NL | 101 | 283 | 29 | 76 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 31 | 0 | 34 | 26 | .269 | .256 (+5%) | .325 (+7%) | .378 (avg) | .703 (+3%) | 249.6 |
| 1974 | HOU | NL | 127 | 405 | 47 | 117 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 54 | 0 | 39 | 33 | .289 | .256 (+12%) | .324 (+8%) | .369 (+9%) | .693 (+8%) | 623.4 |
| 1975 | HOU | NL | 111 | 386 | 29 | 93 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 52 | 1 | 26 | 41 | .241 | .257 (-6%) | .327 (-12%) | .374 (-15%) | .701 (-14%) | -886.9 |
| 1976 | DET | AL | 6 | 25 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .280 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | DET | AL | 115 | 397 | 32 | 99 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 46 | 0 | 26 | 31 | .249 | .264 (-6%) | .329 (-12%) | .401 (-6%) | .730 (-8%) | -629.6 |
| 1978 | DET | AL | 105 | 352 | 24 | 88 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 37 | 0 | 27 | 26 | .250 | .257 (-3%) | .323 (-6%) | .378 (-5%) | .702 (-5%) | -272.9 |
| 1979 | DET | AL | 6 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 65 | 202 | 23 | 51 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 28 | 0 | 14 | 27 | .252 | .265 (-5%) | .329 (-7%) | .397 (+6%) | .727 (avg) | 0.0 |
| 1980 | SFN | NL | 111 | 358 | 27 | 93 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 50 | 0 | 25 | 40 | .260 | .264 (-2%) | .326 (-7%) | .387 (-6%) | .714 (-6%) | -396.9 |
| 1981 | SFN | NL | 97 | 316 | 20 | 98 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 1 | 34 | 29 | .310 | .255 (+21%) | .320 (+17%) | .368 (+4%) | .688 (+10%) | 693.2 |
| 1982 | SFN | NL | 114 | 395 | 29 | 104 | 19 | 0 | 9 | 39 | 0 | 28 | 38 | .263 | .261 (+1%) | .324 (-4%) | .388 (-2%) | .712 (-3%) | -199.2 |
| 1983 | SFN | NL | 66 | 186 | 18 | 46 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 2 | 21 | 23 | .247 | .260 (-5%) | .324 (avg) | .389 (-3%) | .714 (-2%) | -23.6 |
| 1983 | PIT | NL | 7 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -23.6 |
| 1984 | PIT | NL | 50 | 96 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 15 | .177 | .259 (-32%) | .322 (-21%) | .384 (-38%) | .707 (-30%) | -438.0 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,192 | 3,693 | 313 | 971 | 147 | 11 | 77 | 443 | 4 | 305 | 361 | .263 | — | — | — | — | -1,101 | ||
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 (1192 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 586 | 1726 | 156 | 433 | 42 | 209 | .251 |
| Away | 606 | 1967 | 157 | 538 | 35 | 234 | .274 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-09-30 | PIT | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1984-09-29 | PIT | PHI | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-26 | PIT | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1984-09-25 | PIT | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-24 | PIT | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-15 | PIT | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-08 | PIT | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-06 | PIT | NYN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1984-09-02 | PIT | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1984-08-30 | PIT | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | PIT | C | 31 | 31 | 168 | 12 | 0 | 3 |
| 1972 | PIT | C | 33 | 33 | 179 | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 1973 | PIT | C | 79 | 78 | 402 | 36 | 12 | 4 |
| 1974 | HOU | C | 116 | 109 | 525 | 63 | 4 | 10 |
| 1975 | HOU | C | 102 | 99 | 568 | 70 | 9 | 8 |
| 1976 | DET | C | 6 | 6 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | DET | C | 111 | 107 | 551 | 78 | 9 | 12 |
| 1978 | DET | C | 94 | 89 | 406 | 58 | 10 | 5 |
| 1979 | DET | C | 5 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | CHA | C | 65 | 59 | 277 | 27 | 6 | 1 |
| 1980 | SFN | C | 103 | 94 | 500 | 59 | 8 | 12 |
| 1981 | SFN | C | 93 | 86 | 468 | 48 | 6 | 4 |
| 1982 | SFN | C | 110 | 100 | 552 | 61 | 8 | 5 |
| 1983 | SFN | C | 56 | 49 | 285 | 32 | 6 | 5 |
| 1983 | PIT | C | 4 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | PIT | C | 26 | 22 | 135 | 15 | 1 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1035 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 25th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Milt May (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Milt May: the record in brief
Milt May played a first major league game on September 8, 1970 and a last one on September 30, 1984. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1970 through 1984), the Houston Astros (1974 through 1975), the Detroit Tigers (1976 through 1979), the Chicago White Sox (1979), and the San Francisco Giants (1980 to 1983). May played primarily as a catcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on August 1, 1950, in Gary, IN, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds. May's full given name, per the bio, is Milton Scott May.
May collected 971 hits in 3,693 at bats across 1,192 games, good for a .263 batting average, along with 77 homers and 443 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .318 and .371 give May a career OPS of .689. May hit .263 while the league hit .258 over the same span, a figure close to average. The single-season home run high is 12, set in 1977. The highest hit total in a season was 117, in 1974. The RBI column peaks at 54 in 1974.
Frequently Asked Questions about Milt May
- What years did Milt May play?
- Milt May played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984.
- Was Milt May a pitcher?
- No. Milt May was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Milt May hit?
- Milt May hit 77 career home runs with 971 hits.
- What teams did Milt May play for?
- Milt May played for 5 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1970–1973, 1983–1984), the Houston Astros (1974–1975), the Detroit Tigers (1976–1979), the Chicago White Sox (1979), and the San Francisco Giants (1980–1983).
- What were Milt May's career stats?
- In 1,192 games, Milt May had 971 hits, 77 home runs, 443 RBI, 313 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .263 batting average.
- What position did Milt May play?
- Milt May played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Milt May and how much did he weigh?
- Milt May was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did Milt May hit each season?
- Milt May's home runs by season: 0 in 1970, 6 in 1971, 0 in 1972, 7 in 1973, 7 in 1974, 4 in 1975, 0 in 1976, 12 in 1977, 10 in 1978, 7 in 1979, 6 in 1980, 2 in 1981, 9 in 1982, 6 in 1983, and 1 in 1984. His most in one season was 12, in 1977.
- What was Milt May's career batting average?
- Milt May batted .263 over his career, with 971 hits in 3,693 at bats.
- How many RBI did Milt May have?
- Milt May drove in 443 runs in his career.
- Is Milt May in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Milt May has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.