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.
"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 MaysWillie 'The Say Hey Kid' Mays Autograph on a 1986 Topps Baseball Card (#403 | Checklist) |
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Willie MaysWillie Mays Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Willie MaysWillie Mays Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
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 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
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 MaysWillie Mays Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
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 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
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 MaysWillie Mays Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
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 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
22 Years | 338 | 103 | .766 | 129 | 1 | n/a | 16.5 | 7.1 | 5.7 | - | - | - |
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 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 | 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."