Milwaukee’s Best, Part 2: The 50 Best To Play For Braves, Brewers: 40-31
By Phil Watson
Dave May, shown on a 1971 Topps baseball card.
32. Dave May, CF-RF
Brewers 1970-74, 1978
Dave May was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in June 1970 in exchange for right-handers Dick Baney and Buzz Stephen and the late bloomer turned in a dream season for the Brewers in 1973.
May became the Brewers regular center fielder following his arrival from Baltimore, but he had the mother of all breakout seasons as a 29-year-old in 1973, hitting .303/.352/.473 with 25 homers and 93 RBI and earning All-Star honors while finishing eighth in the MVP voting.
May also led the American League with 295 total bases that season and was second in hits, fifth in batting average, sixth in runs scored, eighth in home runs, ninth in RBI and 10th in slugging.
But he couldn’t sustain it, dropping off dramatically to .226/.273/.325 in 1974.
He was part of one of the most significant trades in baseball history, being dealt along with a player to be named later in November 1974 to the Atlanta Braves for home-run king Hank Aaron. Milwaukee later sent right-hander Roger Alexander to the Braves to complete the deal.
May was traded to the Texas Rangers in December 1976 and in May 1978, he returned to the Brewers when the club purchased his contract from Texas.
Just a part-timer at that point in his career, mostly used as a designated hitter, May was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 1978.
Released by the Philadelphia Phillies in the spring of 1979, May played for the Santo Domingo Azucareros in the now defunct independent Triple-A Inter-American League before retiring after the league folded in mid-season.
Originally signed as an amateur free agent out of William Penn High School in New Castle, Del., by the San Francisco Giants in 1961, he was drafted by the Orioles in the first-year draft in November 1962 and debuted with Baltimore in July 1967.
May died in October 2012 in Bear, Del., from complications from cancer and diabetes. He was 68.
Here are May’s statistics from his six seasons with the Brewers:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | Pos | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 26 | MIL | AL | 100 | 394 | 342 | 36 | 82 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 31 | 8 | 6 | 44 | 56 | .240 | .329 | .330 | .659 | 83 | 113 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 8/9 | |
| 1971 | 27 | MIL | AL | 144 | 562 | 501 | 74 | 139 | 20 | 3 | 16 | 65 | 15 | 9 | 50 | 59 | .277 | .343 | .425 | .769 | 119 | 213 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | *89/7 | |
| 1972 | 28 | MIL | AL | 143 | 556 | 500 | 49 | 119 | 20 | 2 | 9 | 45 | 11 | 13 | 47 | 56 | .238 | .306 | .340 | .646 | 95 | 170 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | *8 | |
| 1973 ★ | 29 | MIL | AL | 156 | 680 | 624 | 96 | 189 | 23 | 4 | 25 | 93 | 6 | 7 | 44 | 78 | .303 | .352 | .473 | .824 | 134 | 295 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | *8/D | AS,MVP-8 |
| 1974 | 30 | MIL | AL | 135 | 515 | 477 | 56 | 108 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 42 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 73 | .226 | .273 | .325 | .598 | 73 | 155 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 | *98/D7 | |
| 1978 | 34 | MIL | AL | 39 | 91 | 77 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | .195 | .295 | .325 | .620 | 75 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | /D897 | |
| TOTALS | 717 | 2798 | 2521 | 320 | 652 | 90 | 11 | 69 | 287 | 44 | 38 | 222 | 332 | .259 | .322 | .385 | .707 | 103 | 971 | 65 | 18 | 23 | 13 | 29 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/18/2015.
Next: 31. Second Overall Draft Pick