What years did Joe Mays play?

Joe Mays played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2006.

Was Joe Mays a pitcher?

Yes. Joe Mays pitched in the major leagues, recording 48 wins and 512 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Joe Mays hit?

Joe Mays hit 0 career home runs with 6 hits.

What teams did Joe Mays play for?

Joe Mays played for 3 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1999–2003, 2005), the Kansas City Royals (2006), and the Cincinnati Reds (2006).

Did Joe Mays win a Cy Young Award?

No. Joe Mays did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Joe Mays win?

Joe Mays was selected to 1 All-Star Game.

What were Joe Mays's career stats?

In 206 games, Joe Mays went 48-70 with a 5.05 ERA, 512 strikeouts, and 997.0 innings pitched.

What was Joe Mays's salary?

Joe Mays's last recorded salary was $1,000,000, in 2006. His highest recorded salary was $7,250,000, in 2005, and his lowest was $200,000, in 1999. The Salary History table lists each season from 1999 to 2006.

What position did Joe Mays play?

Joe Mays played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Joe Mays and how much did he weigh?

Joe Mays was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 160 pounds.

What was Joe Mays's career ERA?

Joe Mays finished with a 5.05 career ERA, going 48-70 with 512 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Joe Mays have?

Joe Mays recorded 512 career strikeouts.

Is Joe Mays in the Hall of Fame?

No. Joe Mays has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joe Mays

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1999-2006)

Joe Mays was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2006 for the Minnesota Twins, the Kansas City Royals, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 8 seasons. Across 206 career appearances, he went 48-70 with a 5.05 ERA and 512 strikeouts. Joe Mays was an All-Star.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 24, 2026

W–L 48–70

ERA 5.05

WHIP 1.46

SO 512

Pitcher PIV -9666.8

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: B / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 160 lb
Born: 12/10/1975 in Flint, MI, USA
MLB Debut: 1999-04-07
Last Game: 2006-07-22
Awards: All-Star

Full name: Joseph Emerson Mays

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Career Pitching Statistics

Joe Mays — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
48	70	206	156	10	6	0	997.0	1,130	559	138	329	512	5.05	-9666.8

Career ERA 5.05 vs. league average 4.48 across their career seasons — 12.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Mays Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1999	MIN	AL	6	11	49	20	2	1	171.0	179	83	67	115	4.37	4.71 (+7%)	-494.0
2000	MIN	AL	7	15	31	28	2	1	160.1	193	99	67	102	5.56	4.77 (-17%)	-19.8
2001	MIN	AL	17	13	34	34	4	2	233.2	205	82	64	123	3.16	4.42 (+29%)	884.2
2002	MIN	AL	4	8	17	17	1	1	95.1	113	57	25	38	5.38	4.28 (-26%)	-1538.5
2003	MIN	AL	8	8	31	21	0	0	130.0	159	91	39	50	6.30	4.40 (-43%)	-3103.4
2005	MIN	AL	6	10	31	26	1	1	156.0	203	98	41	59	5.65	4.29 (-32%)	-2868.4
2006	KCA	AL	0	4	6	6	0	0	23.2	38	27	14	9	10.27	4.53 (-127%)	-2058.4
2006	CIN	NL	0	1	7	4	0	0	27.0	40	22	12	16	7.33	4.53 (-62%)	-468.4
Career · 8 seasons			48	70	206	156	10	6	997.0	1,130	559	329	512	5.05	—	-9,667

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Joe Mays — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
206	24	1	6	2	0	0	3	0	3	9	.250	.333	.333	.667	0

Career AVG .250 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Career OBP .333 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .333 vs. league average .427 across their career seasons — 21.9% below league average.

Career OPS .667 vs. league average .763 across their career seasons — 12.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Mays — Season-by-Season Batting
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1999	MIN	AL	49	3	0	0	0	0	2	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2000	MIN	AL	31	5	1	2	1	0	0	2	.400	—	—	—	—	0.0
2001	MIN	AL	34	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2002	MIN	AL	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2003	MIN	AL	31	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
2005	MIN	AL	31	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
2006	KCA	AL	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2006	CIN	NL	7	9	0	2	1	3	0	4	.222	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 8 seasons			206	24	1	6	2	3	3	9	.250	—	—	—	—	0

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

Joe Mays — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Joe Mays — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2002	ALCS	MIN	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2002	ALDS2	MIN	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Joe Mays — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1	1	3	3	0	17.0	21	9	2	4	4.76

Playoff Pitching by Year

Joe Mays — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2002	ALCS	MIN	1	0	2	2	0	13.1	12	3	0	3	2.02
2002	ALDS2	MIN	0	1	1	1	0	3.2	9	6	2	1	14.73

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (412 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Mays — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	110	4	0	1	0	3	.250
Away	96	20	1	5	0	0	.250

Pitching — Home / Away

Joe Mays — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	110	525.0	578	290	167	278	4.97
Away	96	472.0	552	269	162	234	5.13

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Mays — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	H	2B	RBI	SO
2006-07-22	CIN	MIL	W	1	0	0	0	1
2006-07-06	CIN	ATL	L	2	0	0	0	1
2006-07-01	CIN	CLE	L	2	1	1	3	0
2006-06-21	CIN	NYN	W	3	1	0	0	2
2006-06-16	CIN	CHW	L	1	0	0	0	0
2006-06-12	CIN	MIL	L	0	0	0	0	0
2006-06-10	CIN	CHC	L	0	0	0	0	0
2006-05-03	KCR	MIN	L	0	0	0	0	0
2006-04-28	KCR	OAK	L	0	0	0	0	0
2006-04-22	KCR	CLE	W	0	0	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Joe Mays — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2006-07-22	CIN	MIL	—	3.2	5	5	5	3	1	1
2006-07-06	CIN	ATL	—	5.1	9	6	6	3	4	1
2006-07-01	CIN	CLE	L	5.0	11	8	8	4	2	1
2006-06-21	CIN	NYN	—	6.0	8	2	2	2	5	1
2006-06-16	CIN	CHW	—	4.0	7	2	1	0	2	0
2006-06-12	CIN	MIL	—	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2006-06-10	CIN	CHC	—	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2006-05-03	KCR	MIN	L	3.1	8	6	2	0	1	1
2006-04-28	KCR	OAK	L	3.1	4	5	5	5	0	1
2006-04-22	KCR	CLE	—	4.2	4	4	4	2	1	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Mays — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	206	156	80	130	8	15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Mays — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1999	MIN	P	49	20	17	23	1	2
2000	MIN	P	31	28	9	24	2	2
2001	MIN	P	34	34	17	28	1	2
2002	MIN	P	17	17	8	13	2	4
2003	MIN	P	31	21	7	20	1	3
2005	MIN	P	31	26	19	17	1	2
2006	KCA	P	6	6	1	1	0	0
2006	CIN	P	7	4	2	4	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Mays — Career Games by Position
Position	Games
Pitcher	206

Salary History

Joe Mays's recorded salaries total $21,200,000 over 8 seasons, 1999 to 2006. Mays's career, 1999 to 2006, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.

Joe Mays — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2006	KCA	AL	$1,000,000
2005	MIN	AL	$7,250,000
2004	MIN	AL	$5,750,000
2003	MIN	AL	$4,150,000
2002	MIN	AL	$2,350,000
2001	MIN	AL	$260,000
2000	MIN	AL	$240,000
1999	MIN	AL	$200,000
Total recorded salary			$21,200,000

College History

Joe Mays — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
State College of Florida - Manatee-Sarasota	Bradenton	FL	1995

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Joe Mays (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Joe Mays: the record in brief

April 7, 1999 and July 22, 2006 bracket Joe Mays's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Minnesota Twins (1999 through 2005), the Kansas City Royals (2006), and the Cincinnati Reds (2006). Listed as a pitcher, Mays switch-hit and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6'1" and 160 pounds. The birth record reads December 10, 1975, in Flint, MI, USA. Joe Mays was the playing name; the full given name is Joseph Emerson.

Mays went 48-70 with a 5.05 ERA in 206 games, 156 of them starts. The same table counts 512 strikeouts, 10 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Against a 4.48 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.05 mark was 12.5% worse. Mays won 17 games in 2001, the most of any season listed. In 2001, one of the busiest seasons, Mays posted a 3.16 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.42.

Mays's All-Star record, per the bio, is All-Star.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Mays

What years did Joe Mays play?: Joe Mays played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2006.
Was Joe Mays a pitcher?: Yes. Joe Mays pitched in the major leagues, recording 48 wins and 512 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Joe Mays hit?: Joe Mays hit 0 career home runs with 6 hits.
What teams did Joe Mays play for?: Joe Mays played for 3 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1999–2003, 2005), the Kansas City Royals (2006), and the Cincinnati Reds (2006).
Did Joe Mays win a Cy Young Award?: No. Joe Mays did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Joe Mays win?: Joe Mays was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Joe Mays's career stats?: In 206 games, Joe Mays went 48-70 with a 5.05 ERA, 512 strikeouts, and 997.0 innings pitched.
How much did Joe Mays earn in his career?: Joe Mays's recorded salaries total $21,200,000 over 8 seasons, 1999 to 2006. Mays's career, 1999 to 2006, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
What was Joe Mays's salary?: Joe Mays's last recorded salary was $1,000,000, in 2006. His highest recorded salary was $7,250,000, in 2005, and his lowest was $200,000, in 1999. The Salary History table lists each season from 1999 to 2006.
What position did Joe Mays play?: Joe Mays played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Mays and how much did he weigh?: Joe Mays was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 160 pounds.
What was Joe Mays's career ERA?: Joe Mays finished with a 5.05 career ERA, going 48-70 with 512 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Joe Mays have?: Joe Mays recorded 512 career strikeouts.
Is Joe Mays in the Hall of Fame?: No. Joe Mays has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.