Milwaukee’s Best, Part 2: The 50 Best To Play For Braves, Brewers: 40-31
By Phil Watson
Lee Maye, shown on a 1960 Topps baseball card.
34. Lee Maye, LF-CF
Braves 1959-65
The Milwaukee Braves signed Lee Maye as an amateur free agent in June 1954 out of Los Angeles’ Jefferson High School and he arrived in the majors in July 1959.
Maye was a semi-regular in the outfield for his first two full seasons before taking over in left field in 1963. He moved to center field for the 1964 season, when he led the National League with 44 doubles while hitting .304/.346/.447 and scoring 96 runs.
Maye was also seventh in the National League in at-bats per strikeout in 1964.
In May 1965, the Braves dealt Maye to the Houston Astros for right-hander Ken Johnson and outfielder Jim Beauchamp.
Maye was later traded to the Cleveland Indians in January 1967, dealt to the Washington Senators in June 1969 and claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox in September 1970.
He was released by the White Sox in July 1971, but played the next season-plus in the San Diego Padres’ organization before retiring after the 1972 season.
Maye was also a singer, fronting Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns and continued to record and perform solo shows into the 1980s.
He died in Riverside, Calif., in July 2002 at the age of 67.
Here are Maye’s statistics from his seven seasons with the Braves:
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 24 | 51 | 150 | 140 | 17 | 42 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 26 | .300 | .338 | .436 | .774 | 113 |
| 1960 | 25 | 41 | 92 | 83 | 14 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 21 | .301 | .359 | .373 | .732 | 109 |
| 1961 | 26 | 110 | 417 | 373 | 68 | 101 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 41 | 10 | 1 | 36 | 50 | .271 | .337 | .440 | .777 | 112 |
| 1962 | 27 | 99 | 378 | 349 | 40 | 85 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 41 | 9 | 3 | 25 | 58 | .244 | .294 | .358 | .652 | 77 |
| 1963 | 28 | 124 | 487 | 442 | 67 | 120 | 22 | 7 | 11 | 34 | 14 | 2 | 36 | 52 | .271 | .329 | .428 | .756 | 117 |
| 1964 | 29 | 153 | 627 | 588 | 96 | 179 | 44 | 5 | 10 | 74 | 5 | 10 | 34 | 54 | .304 | .346 | .447 | .793 | 121 |
| 1965 | 30 | 15 | 56 | 53 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .302 | .339 | .453 | .792 | 121 |
| TOTALS | 593 | 2207 | 2028 | 310 | 568 | 100 | 18 | 51 | 215 | 45 | 18 | 147 | 267 | .280 | .331 | .423 | .754 | 110 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/18/2015.
Next: 33. Acquired In Gary Sheffield Trade