Lee May
Cincinnati scout Jimmy Bragan first saw Lee May when he was 13 years old in Birmingham, Alabama. Even at that young age, Bragan was impressed with May's strength at the plate, and he tracked the teenager for four years, hounding him to sign a conract. The Reds eventually signed May, and he provided dividends. In 1969, the hulking first baseman slugged 38 homers, the first of three straight seasons over 30 for May. But after the 1971 season, Cincinnati included May in the eight-player deal with Houston that netted the Reds Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo and others. The deal helped create the Big Red Machine of the 1970s, but May missed out on that success. In Houston, the right-handed power-hitter still launched homers despite playing half his games in the cavernous Astrodome. Eventually, he was acquired by the Orioles, and extended his streak of seasons with 20 or more homers to 11. But once again, he lost his first base job to a younger player, and spent his last two seasons as a starter as a DH. He retired with 354 homers, more than 1,200 RBI (he produced 80 or more in 11 consecutive seasons), and in excess of 2,000 hits.
Quotes About May
"The guy is a delight to have on a club. He'll get the job done for you, no matter where you put him on the ball field." — manager Dave Bristol
Played For
Cincinnati Reds (1965-1971)
Houston Astros (1972-1974)
Baltimore Orioles (1975-1980)
Kansas City Royals (1981-1982)
Minor League Experience
With Macon, GA, in 1964, May hit .303 with 25 homers and 110 RBI... In 1965 with San Diego in the Pacific Coast League, May batted .324 with 34 homers and 103 RBI... In 1966 at Buffalo, he hit .310 before being called up to the Reds for good.
All-Time Rankings
Lee May ranks #49 among the Top 50 all-time at 1B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1971
As most of the Reds slumped following their pennant-winning year of 1970, May did not. he set a career-high with 39 homers, and drove in 98 runs. Despite that production, the writing was on the wall - the Reds wanted to move Tony Perez to first base. In November, May was traded to the Astros in an eight-player swap.
Where He Played
Asked how May played first base when he first signed with the Reds organization, Cincinnati scout Jimmy Bragan replied, "Like a fullback."
Born
Lee Andrew May was born on March 23, 1943, in Birmingham, AL.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 1B
Primary Team: BAL
Major League Debut
September 1, 1965
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1965
Lee May
Mark Belanger
Bobby Murcer
Roy White
Steve Carlton
Tug McGraw
Fergie Jenkins
Jim Palmer
Catfish Hunter
Nicknames
The Big Bopper from Birmingham
Teammate Vada Pinson gave May the nickname.
Similar Players
Willie Horton and George Scott
Related Players
His brother, Carlos May, played a decade in the big leagues, primarily with the White Sox. A left-handed batter, Carlos did not have the power that Lee had... Joe Morgan was the big name that the Reds received in return for May in the eight-player deal following the 1971 season.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1988 |
BBWAA |
3 |
.7% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1970 National League Championship Series
1970 World Series
1979 American League Championship Series
1979 World Series
1981 American League Division Playoffs
Post-Season Notes
May clubbed a pair of monster homers in the 1970 World Series. His blast in the eighth-inning of Game Four gave the Reds their only win of the Series, and ended the Orioles 17-game winning streak (dating back to the regular season).
Feats
May slugged six homers in three games, May 24, 25, and 28, 1969, tying a major league record.
Notes
In the next-to-the-last game of his career, on September 20, 1982, May hit the last homer of his career, off lefty Geoff Zahn
Hitting Streaks
21 games (1973)
19 games (1968)
Transactions
June 1, 1961: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent.
November 29, 1971: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Tommy Helms and Jimmy Stewart to the Houston Astros for Joe Morgan, Denis Menke, Jack Billingham, Cesar Geronimo, and Ed Armbrister.
December 3, 1974: Traded by the Houston Astros with Jay Schlueter to the Baltimore Orioles for Enos Cabell and Rob Andrews.
October 23, 1980: Granted Free Agency.
December 9, 1980: Signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals.
November 18, 1982: Released by the Kansas City Royals.
All-Star Selections
1969 NL
1971 NL
1972 NL
Replaced By
The Reds included May in the 1971 trade to Houston because they were going to move Tony Perez to first base... The Astros dealt May to the Orioles in December of 1974, to make room at first for Bob Watson... In Baltimore, May lost his first base job to Eddie Murray. In each case, May was the odd-man out, but despite his tremendous production on each of his new teams, the deals were also good for his old teams.
Best Strength as a Player
Power
Largest Weakness as a Player
Like many power hitters, May was streaky. In 1969, he hit 11 homers in a 15-game stretch in May, including two in three straight games. In June of 1971, he hit slugged four homers in 16 at-bats in June. In May/June of 1977, he hit seven homers in an eight-game stretch. Six times in his career, May hit at least one homer in three straight games.
Learn More about Lee May
Search Amazon.com for Books about Lee May ⇒
Search for Lee May at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
