Happy 80th Birthday, Willie Mays

Hall of Famer Willie Mays, probably the greatest centerfielder in major league history, turned 80 on May 6th.  Mays was what is known as a five tool player:  he could hit for average and power, could run the bases well, as well as steal bases, and had a great arm and defensive capability in the outfield. 

Mays put up some incredible numbers over his 22 year major league career that began with the New York Giants in 1951.  He went with the Giants when they moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season, then went back to New York in 1972 when he was traded to the New York Mets.  He retired at age 42 after the 1973 season.

The numbers he put up are awesome, especially since he played in the pre steroid era.  He had a lifetime batting average of .302, and hit 660 career home runs, the fourth best all time total (third is you throw out the steroid tainted numbers of Barry Bonds).  He led the National League in stolen bases four times.  Most of them came in the first half of his career, but he did steal 23 in 1971 at age 40.  Defensively, he was a 12 time gold glove winner, and is the career leader in both assists and putouts by a center fielder.  Here’s his most famous defensive play from the 1954 World Series, a play often referred to as simply “The Catch”:

For the past 24 years, Mays has had a front office with the San Francisco Giants, and has received numerous awards over the years. 

He flew to the 2009 All Star Game in St. Louis with President Obama on Air Force One, which we think would be pretty cool, even if we were subjected to extra groping by the TSA.