Baseball Greats - Willie Mays

Willie Howard Mays, Jr. was born May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama. Nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid” and better known as simple Willie Mays, he played centerfield and is considered a former star of major league baseball. In fact, he is often considered to be the greatest former player who is still living and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as soon as he was eligible in 1979.

Always an athlete, Mays played quarterback in high school and was offered college scholarships for both football and basketball, which he rejected, and chose to play baseball with the Negro American League. He never signed a contract with the team and was scouted by several Major League Baseball teams, finally signing with the New York Giants in 1950 and playing for Trenton, New Jersey (their class-B affiliate). With a .353 batting average his first season there, he moved to the AAA Minneapolis Millers and hit an astounding average of .477 in 35 games, earning him the call to the majors in May of 1951.

Though Mays immediately hit a slump upon reaching his position with the Yankees, he steadily improved and, regardless of having one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, was named Rookie of the Year in 1951.

Mays credits his long life to his adversity to drinking and smoking, keeping him healthy as a player. In 21 seasons as a ball player, he played at least 150 games, and over 100 in five more; one season was interrupted by Mays’s military service (which would have otherwise been a 150-game season).

Through a Giants slump, Mays continued to be a great player, though the only highlight of a less than impressive team for a few years in the mid-1950’s. However, beginning in 1958, the team began to improve again, and, in 1961, with a new coach, Mays was made team captain in 1961. Mays managed to stop a strike among the black and Puerto Rican players, and in 1962, the Giants made it to the World Series. In 1965, Mays won the second of two Most Valuable Player Awards.

In 1972, he moved to the Mets, playing with them until his retirement after the 1973 season. His number 24 has been retired by the San Francisco Giants, and their home ballpark (SBC Park) is located at 24 Mille Mays Plaza, with a statue of the player at the entrance, surrounded by 24 palm trees. The right field wall is 24 feet high, all in celebration of their greatest player.