Willie Mays

jjjjjWillie Mays was born in 1931. He began his professional career at 16, playing with the Birmingham Black Barons in the segregated Negro Southern League. The day he graduated from high school, he was signed by the New York Giants. His career batting average was .302. For eight years running, he drove in more than 100 runs a year, and his 660 home runs put him in third place for the all-time home run record. He won the Gold Glove Award 12 times. Mays was voted Most Valuable Player in the National League in both 1954 and 1965. He had 41 homeruns and 110 RBIs. When the Giants moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958, Mays had to win over a new hometown crowd. In 1962, he led the Giants to another pennant victory and in 1964, became team captain. In 1966, the Giants signed him to a new contract, making him the highest paid player in the history of the game. After hanging up his glove in 1973, he ended his career with 660 home runs. Willie Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

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