Willie Mays Stats

Willie Mays was born on Wednesday, May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama. Mays was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 25, 1951, with the New York Giants. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Willie Mays baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"No record book reflects this kind of concentration, determination, perseverance or ability. As a player, Willie Mays could never be captured by mere statistics." - Sportswriter Harry Jupiter in The San Francisco Chronicle [Willie Mays Quotes]

Willie Mays

Willie 'The Say Hey Kid' Mays Autograph on a 1986 Topps Baseball Card (#403 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1986top07' title='1986 Topps Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Willie 'The Say Hey Kid' Mays Autograph on a 1986 Topps Baseball Card (#403 | Checklist)

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Birth Name:   Willie Howard Mays, Jr.
Nickname:   Buck, Say Hey or The Say Hey Kid
Born On:   05-06-1931  (Taurus)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Westfield, Alabama
Year of Death Data Died On:   Still Living (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Still Living
Cemetery:   n/a
High School:   Fairfield Industrial High School (Fairfield, AL)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   5-11   Player Weight Chart Weight:   180
First Game:   05-25-1951 (Age 20)
Last Game:   09-09-1973
Draft:   Not Applicable / Signing Bonus = $4,000

Willie Mays

Willie Mays Pitching Stats

- - Did Not Pitch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Willie Mays

Willie Mays Hitting Stats

1951 20 Giants 121 464 59 127 22 5 20 0 68 57 7 60 1 0 2 11 .274 .356 .472
1952 21 Giants 34 127 17 30 2 4 4 0 23 16 1 17 0 0 1 2 .236 .326 .409
1954 23 Giants 151 565 119 195 33 13 41 0 110 66 14 57 0 7 2 12 .345 .411 .667
1955 24 Giants 152 580 123 185 18 13 51 1 127 79 13 60 0 7 4 12 .319 .400 .659
1956 25 Giants 152 578 101 171 27 8 36 0 84 68 20 65 0 3 1 16 .296 .369 .557
1957 26 Giants 152 585 112 195 26 20 35 0 97 76 15 62 0 6 1 14 .333 .407 .626
1958 27 Giants 152 600 121 208 33 11 29 1 96 78 12 56 0 6 1 11 .347 .419 .583
1959 28 Giants 151 575 125 180 43 5 34 0 104 65 9 58 0 6 2 11 .313 .381 .583
1960 29 Giants 153 595 107 190 29 12 29 1 103 61 11 70 0 9 4 15 .319 .381 .555
1961 30 Giants 154 572 129 176 32 3 40 2 123 81 15 77 0 4 2 14 .308 .393 .584
1962 31 Giants 162 621 130 189 36 5 49 1 141 78 11 85 0 3 4 19 .304 .384 .615
1963 32 Giants 157 596 115 187 32 7 38 0 103 66 5 83 0 7 2 15 .314 .380 .582
1964 33 Giants 157 578 121 171 21 9 47 0 111 82 13 72 1 3 1 11 .296 .383 .607
1965 34 Giants 157 558 118 177 21 3 52 0 112 76 16 71 2 2 0 11 .317 .398 .645
1966 35 Giants 152 552 99 159 29 4 37 0 103 70 11 81 1 4 2 13 .288 .368 .556
1967 36 Giants 141 486 83 128 22 2 22 1 70 51 7 92 2 3 2 12 .263 .334 .453
1968 37 Giants 148 498 84 144 20 5 23 0 79 67 7 81 0 6 2 13 .289 .372 .488
1969 38 Giants 117 403 64 114 17 3 13 0 58 49 7 71 0 4 3 8 .283 .362 .437
1970 39 Giants 139 478 94 139 15 2 28 0 83 79 3 90 0 6 3 7 .291 .390 .506
1971 40 Giants 136 417 82 113 24 5 18 1 61 112 11 123 1 4 3 8 .271 .425 .482
1972 41 Giants 19 49 8 9 2 0 0 0 3 17 1 5 1 0 0 4 .184 .394 .224
1972 41 Mets 69 195 27 52 9 1 8 0 19 43 5 43 3 0 1 5 .267 .402 .446
1973 42 Mets 66 209 24 44 10 0 6 0 25 27 0 47 1 1 1 7 .211 .303 .344
22 Years 2,992 10,881 2,062 3,283 523 140 660 8 1,903 1,464 214 1,526 13 91 44 251 .302 .384 .557

Willie Mays

Willie Mays Fielding Stats

1951 Giants CF 121 121 3,273 371 3.1 362 349 13 9 2 n/a n/a n/a .976 2.99
1952 Giants CF 34 34 933 116 3.4 115 109 6 1 2 n/a n/a n/a .991 3.33
1954 Giants CF 151 151 4,039 469 3.1 462 449 13 7 9 n/a n/a n/a .985 3.09
1955 Giants CF 152 152 4,084 443 2.9 435 413 22 8 8 n/a n/a n/a .982 2.88
1956 Giants CF 152 150 4,034 435 2.9 426 412 14 9 6 n/a n/a n/a .979 2.85
1957 Giants CF 150 149 4,061 443 3.0 434 420 14 9 4 n/a n/a n/a .980 2.89
1958 Giants CF 151 150 4,056 453 3.0 444 429 15 9 2 n/a n/a n/a .980 2.96
1959 Giants CF 147 143 3,844 362 2.5 357 351 6 5 2 n/a n/a n/a .986 2.51
1960 Giants CF 152 152 4,044 410 2.7 402 391 11 8 2 n/a n/a n/a .980 2.68
1961 Giants CF 153 151 4,005 400 2.6 392 385 7 8 3 n/a n/a n/a .980 2.64
1962 Giants CF 161 158 4,181 435 2.7 431 425 6 4 1 n/a n/a n/a .991 2.78
1963 Giants CF 157 155 4,161 414 2.6 406 398 8 8 1 n/a n/a n/a .981 2.63
1963 Giants SS 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1964 Giants 1B 1 0 21 7 7.0 7 6 1 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1964 Giants 3B 1 0 15 1 1.0 1 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.80
1964 Giants CF 155 151 4,039 379 2.4 373 364 9 6 4 n/a n/a n/a .984 2.49
1964 Giants SS 1 0 9 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1965 Giants CF 147 143 3,726 338 2.3 333 323 10 5 4 n/a n/a n/a .985 2.41
1965 Giants LF 1 1 27 6 6.0 6 6 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 6.00
1965 Giants RF 4 3 72 8 2.0 7 5 2 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .875 2.63
1966 Giants CF 144 141 3,741 373 2.6 366 358 8 7 2 n/a n/a n/a .981 2.64
1966 Giants LF 1 0 3 1 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1966 Giants RF 5 5 114 9 1.8 9 9 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.13
1967 Giants CF 134 123 3,226 288 2.1 281 278 3 7 0 n/a n/a n/a .976 2.35
1968 Giants 1B 1 1 27 9 9.0 9 9 0 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1968 Giants CF 141 128 3,404 316 2.2 309 302 7 7 2 n/a n/a n/a .978 2.45
1968 Giants RF 1 1 27 2 2.0 2 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.00
1969 Giants 1B 1 1 27 6 6.0 6 6 0 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 6.00
1969 Giants CF 106 94 2,559 211 2.0 206 202 4 5 0 n/a n/a n/a .976 2.17
1969 Giants RF 2 2 42 5 2.5 5 5 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.21
1970 Giants 1B 5 4 105 37 7.4 37 34 3 0 3 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.51
1970 Giants CF 128 117 3,120 285 2.2 278 272 6 7 3 n/a n/a n/a .975 2.41
1971 Giants 1B 48 39 1,115 422 8.8 411 383 28 11 43 n/a n/a n/a .974 9.95
1971 Giants CF 84 77 1,963 202 2.4 196 193 3 6 1 n/a n/a n/a .970 2.70
1972 Giants CF 14 13 340 30 2.1 30 30 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.38
1972 Mets 1B 10 9 252 76 7.6 75 74 1 1 3 n/a n/a n/a .987 8.04
1972 Mets CF 50 44 1,145 113 2.3 110 107 3 3 1 n/a n/a n/a .973 2.59
1973 Mets 1B 17 14 364 136 8.0 133 132 1 3 9 n/a n/a n/a .978 9.87
1973 Mets CF 45 41 1,016 105 2.3 104 103 1 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .990 2.76
CF Totals 2,829 2,738 72,994 7,391 2.6 7,252 7,063 189 139 59 n/a n/a n/a .981 2.68
1B Totals 83 68 1,911 693 8.3 678 644 34 15 61 n/a n/a n/a .978 9.58
RF Totals 12 11 255 24 2.0 23 21 2 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .958 2.44
SS Totals 2 0 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
LF Totals 2 1 30 7 3.5 7 7 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 6.30
3B Totals 1 0 15 1 1.0 1 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.80
22 Years 2,929 2,818 75,217 8,116 2.8 7,961 7,735 226 155 120 n/a n/a n/a .981 2.86

Willie Mays

Willie Mays Miscellaneous Stats

1951 Giants 7 4 .636 0 0 n/a 23.2 7.7 6.8 - - -
1952 Giants 4 1 .800 0 0 n/a 31.8 7.5 5.5 - - -
1954 Giants 8 5 .615 0 0 n/a 13.8 9.9 5.1 - - -
1955 Giants 24 4 .857 0 0 n/a 11.4 9.7 4.6 - - -
1956 Giants 40 10 .800 0 0 n/a 16.1 8.9 6.9 - - -
1957 Giants 38 19 .667 3 0 n/a 16.7 9.4 6.0 - - -
1958 Giants 31 6 .838 2 0 n/a 20.7 10.7 6.3 - - -
1959 Giants 27 4 .871 7 0 n/a 16.9 9.9 5.5 - - -
1960 Giants 25 10 .714 1 0 n/a 20.5 8.5 5.8 - - -
1961 Giants 18 9 .667 1 0 n/a 14.3 7.4 4.7 - - -
1962 Giants 18 2 .900 3 0 n/a 12.7 7.3 4.4 - - -
1963 Giants 8 3 .727 2 0 n/a 15.7 7.2 5.8 - - -
1964 Giants 19 5 .792 3 0 n/a 12.3 8.0 5.2 - - -
1965 Giants 9 4 .692 9 0 n/a 10.7 7.9 5.0 - - -
1966 Giants 5 1 .833 4 0 n/a 14.9 6.8 5.4 - - -
1967 Giants 6 0 1.000 14 0 n/a 22.1 5.3 6.9 - - -
1968 Giants 12 6 .667 9 0 n/a 21.7 6.1 6.3 - - -
1969 Giants 6 2 .750 15 0 n/a 31.0 5.7 6.9 - - -
1970 Giants 5 0 1.000 13 0 n/a 17.1 5.3 5.8 - - -
1971 Giants 23 3 .885 17 0 n/a 23.2 3.4 6.8 - - -
1972 Giants 3 0 1.000 5 0 n/a 0.0 9.8 16.3 - - -
1972 Mets 1 5 .167 12 1 n/a 24.4 4.5 10.3 - - -
1973 Mets 1 0 1.000 9 0 n/a 34.8 4.4 8.4 - - -
22 Years 338 103 .766 129 1 n/a 16.5 7.1 5.7 - - -

Willie Mays

Willie Mays Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1951 New York Giants 14, 24 $7,500.00 - Stats
1952 New York Giants 24 $12,500.00 - -
1954 New York Giants 24 $12,500.00 Stats Stats
1955 New York Giants 24 $12,500.00 Stats -
1956 New York Giants 24 $30,000.00 Stats -
1957 New York Giants 24 $50,000.00 Stats -
1958 San Francisco Giants 24 $50,000.00 Stats -
1959 San Francisco Giants 24 $160,000.00 Stats -
1960 San Francisco Giants 24 $150,000.00 Stats -
1961 San Francisco Giants 24 $75,000.00 Stats -
1962 San Francisco Giants 24 $75,000.00 Stats Stats
1963 San Francisco Giants 24 $80,000.00 Stats -
1964 San Francisco Giants 24 $85,000.00 Stats -
1965 San Francisco Giants 24 $90,000.00 Stats -
1966 San Francisco Giants 24 $105,000.00 Stats -
1967 San Francisco Giants 24 $105,000.00 Stats -
1968 San Francisco Giants 24 $105,000.00 Stats -
1969 San Francisco Giants 24 $125,000.00 Stats -
1970 San Francisco Giants 24 $125,000.00 Stats -
1971 San Francisco Giants 24 $160,000.00 Stats -
1972 San Francisco Giants 24 $165,000.00 Stats -
1972 New York Mets 24 "     "     Stats -
1973 New York Mets 24 $165,000.00 Stats Stats

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Willie Howard Mays, Jr. was a Major League Baseball player with the Birmingham Black Barons (1948-1950), New York Giants (1951-1957), San Francisco Giants (1958-1972), and New York Mets (1972-1973). The Say Hey Kid is currently the oldest living Hall of Fame player! [The Oldest Living Major League Baseball Players]

Did you know that Willie Mays played Major League Baseball for twenty-two seasons and was named to twenty-four All-Star Games? Did you know Willie Mays was the first player in National League history to join the 30 / 30 Club (30 Home Runs and 30 Stolen Bases)?

Willie Mays Rookie Baseball Card

Willie Mays Rookie Card | 1951 Bowman Baseball Card (#305 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Collection

Willie Mays won twelve consecutive Gold Gloves starting the year the award was first introduced (1957) and up through 1968! Join Baseball Almanac as we take a look at some additional numbers of interest as they relate to the best five-tool player in Major League Baseball history:

1 - Willie Mays was the number one ranked center fielder in baseball history by Bill James in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract . An excerpt from the write-up included this tidbit, "According to Sam Levy of the Milwaukee Journal (Baseball Digest, June, 1955), the Braves began scouting Willie Mays when he was fifteen years old. The Braves head of scouting, Harry Jenkins, watched Mays play many times, and raved about him often - but lost him in a dispute over $2,500 when two of his assistant scouts, sent to cross-check, doubted that Mays was work $10,000. If the Braves had signed him they would have had Mays, Aaron, Mathews and Spahn on the team from 1954 through 1965.

2 - Willie Mays won two Most Valuable Player Awards (1954 & 1965), two All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards (1963 & 1968) and was ranked the second greatest player in Major League history by The Sporting News in their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

3 - Willie Mays, on May 12, 1972, became the third Giants' player to have his number (#24) retired by the franchise, joining Carl Hubbell (#11 | Retired in 1944) and Mel Ott (#4 | Retired in 1949).

4 - Willie Mays hit four home runs in a game on April 30, 1961, only the sixth instance in National League history and a record for Most Home Runs in a Game Record that still stands to this day.

7 - Willie Mays was the seventh team captain in Giants franchise history, serving from 1961 through 1972. The six who preceded Mays were; Jack Doyle (1902), Dan McGann (1903-1907), Larry Doyle (1908-1916), Gus Mancuso (1937-1938), Mel Ott (1939-1947), and Alvin Dark (1950-1956).

13 - Willie Mays in his thirteenth at-bat, May 28, 1951, (after going hitless in his first twelve at-bats), hit a home run in the first inning over the left field fence in the Polo Grounds for his first big league hit. The pitcher, future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, quipped, "I'll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I'd only struck him out."

17 - Willie Mays had seventeen 20-home run seasons (1951, 1954-1968 & 1970), eleven 30-home run seasons (1954-1957, 1959 & 1961-1966), six 40-home run seasons (1954, 1955, 1961, 1962, 1964 & 1965), and two 50-home run seasons (1955 & 1965) / review the Most Seasons With XX Home Runs Record Book to see where he ranks in each of these plateaus.

22 - Willie Mays wore uniform number 24 across all his 22-seasons in the majors. When Mays stepped off the field on September 29, 1957, he became the last NEW YORK Giant to wear #24 in a regular season game, and when he stepped back onto the field the following year, on April 15, 1958, he became the first SAN FRANCISCO Giants to wear #24 in a regular season game!

24 - Willie Mays was an All-Star twenty-four times, tied with Hank Aaron and Stan Musial for the most in baseball history, prompting Ted Williams to say, "They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays."

660 - Willie Mays finished his career with 660 home runs, third most in big league history (behind Hank Aaron & Babe Ruth) at the time of his retirement.

1954 - Willie Mays made "The Catch" during the 1954 World Series. An iconic moment in World Series history where Mays made an over-the-shoulder running grab in deep center of the Polo Grounds of a long drive off the bat of Vic Wertz during the eighth inning of Game 1.

1960s - Willie Mays, on January 17, 1970, was named by The Sporting News the Player of the Decade, the best ballplayers during the entire decade of the 1960s!

1971 - Willie Mays homered in the first four consecutive games of the 1971 season, setting a new record for most games with a home run from the start of a season. Twenty-seven years later the mark was finally tied, but not beaten. Do you remember who that slugger was? [Answer]

1979 - Willie Mays was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, on his first ballot, with 94.7% of the votes. New York Daily News columnist Dick Young wrote about the 23 votes who chose not to enshrine Mays, "If Jesus Christ were to show up with his old baseball glove, some guys wouldn't vote for him. He dropped the cross three times, didn't he?"

2007 - Willie Mays was selected as one-of-three outfielders on the Rawlings All-Time Gold Glove Team. In August 2007, during the 50th anniversary of the Gold Glove Awards, the best defensive players in baseball history were announced and the Say Hey Kid won the highest percentage of votes amongst every outfielder! [Full List]

2015 - Willie Mays received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2015. The highest civilian award in the United States had previously been bestowed to only eleven big league ballplayers!

Willie Mays Hall of Fame Plaque

Willie Mays | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1979 (HOF)

The Say Hey Kid only won a single batting title, when he hit .345 in 1954, but that same year he also led the National League in slugging percentage (which he led five times), on base percentage (which he led five times) and triples (which he led three times). The following season, Mays won his first home run championship (his first of four), led the league in total bases (which he did three times) and extra base hits (which he did two times). These type of numbers / leaderboard appearances continued on across his career prompting Hall of Famer Leo Durocher — Mays first skipper in the big leagues — to say in Nice Guys Finish Last (Chicago Press, 09/15/2009, Page 385), "If somebody came up and hit .450, stole 100 bases, and performed a miracle in the field every day, I'd still look you right in the eye and tell you that Willie was better. He could do the five things you have to do to be a superstar: hit, hit with power, run, throw and field. And he had the other magic ingredient that turns a superstar into a super-superstar. Charisma."