The numbers Willie Mays consistently posted throughout his career tell a remarkable story even for those who never got a chance to see him play. Not only did Mays, who died June 18 at 93, put up milestone numbers in key counting categories, but his statistics also hold up by more modern measures as well.
- He played in 3,005 games (ninth most in history) across 23 seasons, the majority spent with the Giants, first in New York and later San Francisco.
- He had a career batting average of .301, and his 3,293 hits included 660 home runs. He still holds the sixth-highest home run total in history, along with the fourth-most total bases. His 2,068 runs are the seventh most.
- He was the first player with 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.
- He was twice voted National League MVP, won 12 Gold Glove awards (recording the most putouts by a center fielder in history) and appeared in a record 24 All-Star Games.
- He led the NL in WAR 10 times (per Baseball-Reference), and his career WAR of 156.2 is third highest of all time among position players behind only Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth.
- He had a career OPS of .941, and five times surpassed the 1.000 mark.
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Those stats include one season of three played with the Birmingham Black Barons, where Mays started his professional career in 1948 and appeared in the final Negro World Series at 17. He batted .311 in 75 games for the Black Barons in 1949 and started the 1950 season batting .330 and slugging .547 before being signed by the Giants, according to a Society for American Baseball Research biography.
Here’s a year-by-year look at his key major league stats and accomplishments (starred indicates he was the league leader), with his Topps baseball card for that season.
1951
After hitting .393 and slugging .604 in 116 minor league games, Mays made his Giants debut May 25, having just turned 20. In his fourth game, he got his first MLB hit, a home run off future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn. On Aug. 11, the Giants were 13 games behind the Dodgers, but they won 37 of their last 44 to tie for first place. Mays was on deck when Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard Round the World” to beat Brooklyn in a playoff and send the Giants to face the Yankees in the World Series. He was named rookie of the year after playing in 121 games.
- Counting stats: 127 hits | 20 homers | 68 RBI
- Slash line: .274 avg. / .356 on-base / .472 slugging / .828 OPS / 3.9 WAR
1952-53
Mays played just 34 games before being drafted into the Army; he would miss the rest of 1952 as well as the entire following season to military service. (Topps still issued a baseball card.)
- Counting stats (1952): 30 hits | 4 homers | 23 RBI
- Slash line (1952): .236 avg. / .326 on-base / .409 slugging / .736 OPS / 1.3 WAR
1954
Mays had 36 home runs through July 28 and was batting .326. He hit just five more home runs but batted .379 the rest of the way to win his only batting title. The Giants won the pennant again, and Mays made his famous catch to help beat Cleveland in the first game of the World Series, which New York swept. At 23, he was named MVP, the third-youngest winner in NL history.
- Counting stats: 119 runs | 195 hits | 13 triples* | 41 homers | 110 RBI
- Slash line: .345 avg.* / .411 on-base / .667 slugging* / 1.078 OPS* / 10.5 WAR*
- Awards: 1st all-star selection, 1st in MVP voting
1955
Mays became just the seventh player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in a season. He led the majors with 382 total bases and was second in stolen bases. Defensively, he led NL outfielders in assists (23) and double plays (eight).
- Counting stats: 123 runs | 185 hits | 13 triples* | 51 homers* | 127 RBI | 24 steals
- Slash line: .319 avg. / .400 on-base / .659 slugging* / 1.059 OPS* / 9.2 WAR*
- Awards: 2nd all-star selection, 4th in MVP voting
1956
His 40 stolen bases were the most in the majors since 1944, and this was the first of four consecutive years he would lead the NL in the category. He stole four bases in a game May 6.
- Counting stats: 101 runs | 171 hits | 36 homers | 84 RBI | 40 steals*
- Slash line: .296 avg. / .369 on-base / .557 slugging / .926 OPS / 7.6 WAR
- Awards: 3rd all-star selection, 17th in MVP voting
1957
Mays became just the fourth player since 1900 to hit more than 20 doubles, 20 triples and 20 home runs in the same season. The Gold Glove was created in 1957, and Mays won the first of 12 consecutive awards. It was the last season for the Giants in New York.
- Counting stats: 112 runs | 195 hits | 20 triples* | 35 homers | 97 RBI | 38 steals*
- Slash line: .333 avg. / .407 on-base / .626 slugging* / 1.033 OPS / 8.3 WAR*
- Awards: 1st Gold Glove, 4th all-star selection, 4th in MVP voting
1958
In his first season in San Francisco, Mays went into the last day of the season trailing by just two points for the league lead in average, and despite getting three hits in the final game, he lost the batting title to Richie Ashburn (.350). It was the third time in four seasons he finished as runner-up and the only season Mays had more than 200 hits.
- Counting stats: 121 runs* | 208 hits | 11 triples | 29 homers | 96 RBI | 31 steals*
- Slash line: .347 avg. / .419 on-base / .583 slugging / 1.002 OPS / 10.2 WAR*
- Awards: 2nd Gold Glove, 5th all-star selection, 2nd in MVP voting
1959
Mays had a career-best 43 doubles. This was the first of four seasons with two All-Star Games — in the first game July 7, Mays tripled off of Whitey Ford to score Hank Aaron and win it for the NL, 5-4. It was one of Mays’s 23 All-Star Game hits, the most of any player.
- Counting stats: 125 runs | 180 hits | 34 homers | 104 RBI | 27 steals*
- Slash line: .313 avg. / .381 on-base / .583 slugging / .964 OPS / 7.8 WAR
- Awards: 3rd Gold Glove, 6th and 7th all-star selections, 6th in MVP voting
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1960
Mays led the majors in hits for the only time in his career.
- Counting stats: 107 runs | 190 hits* | 12 triples | 29 homers | 103 RBI | 25 steals
- Slash line: .319 avg. / .381 on-base / .555 slugging / .936 OPS / 9.5 WAR*
- Awards: 4th Gold Glove, 8th and 9th all-star selections, 3rd in MVP voting
1961
On April 30 in Milwaukee, Mays hit four home runs and drove in eight. He lined out in the fifth inning, and he was on deck again in the top of the ninth when the game ended.
- Counting stats: 129 runs* |176 hits | 40 homers | 123 RBI | 18 steals
- Slash line: .308 avg. / .393 on-base / .584 slugging / .977 OPS / 8.7 WAR
- Awards: 5th Gold Glove, 10th and 11th all-star selections, 6th in MVP voting
1962
On the last day of the regular season, Mays homered in the eighth inning to give the Giants a 2-1 victory over Houston and a tie for first place with the Dodgers. The Giants won the playoff to advance to the World Series but lost to the Yankees in seven games. Mays led the majors in homers for the first time since 1955, and he reached a career high in RBI.
- Counting stats: 130 runs | 189 hits | 49 homers* | 141 RBI | 18 steals
- Slash line: .304 avg. / .384 on-base / .615 slugging / .999 OPS / 10.5 WAR*
- Awards: 6th Gold Glove, 12th and 13th all-star selections, 2nd in MVP voting
1963
In the All-Star Game, Mays scored twice, drove in two runs, stole two bases and was named MVP in a 5-3 victory for the NL.
- Counting stats: 115 runs | 187 hits | 38 homers | 103 RBI
- Slash line: .314 avg. / .380 on-base / .582 slugging / .962 OPS / 10.6 WAR
- Awards: 7th Gold Glove, 14th All-Star selection, 5th in MVP voting
1964
Mays led the NL in homers for the third time, but the Giants finished fourth, three games back, and fired manager Alvin Dark at the end of the season.
- Counting stats: 121 runs | 171 hits | 47 homers* | 111 RBI | 19 steals
- Slash line: .296 avg. / .383 on-base / .607 slugging* / .990 OPS* / 11.0 WAR*
- Awards: 8th Gold Glove, 15th all-star selection, 6th in MVP voting
1965
The Giants lost the pennant to the Dodgers by just two games, and Mays won his second MVP award, 11 years after his first, with a career high in homers. He led the majors in on-base percentage, but it would be the last time he hit over .300.
- Counting stats: 118 runs | 177 hits | 52 homers* | 112 RBI
- Slash line: .317 avg. / .398 on-base* / .645 slugging* / 1.043 OPS* / 11.2 WAR*
- Awards: 9th Gold Glove, 16th all-star selection, 1st in MVP voting
- Milestones: 500th home run Sept. 13 in Houston, only the fifth player to reach that mark.
1966
At 35, Mays hit more than 30 homers and drove in more than 100 for the final time. It was his last of eight consecutive seasons with at least 100 RBI, but he never led the NL in that category. It was also the 10th year in a row that he finished sixth or higher in MVP voting.
- Counting stats: 99 runs | 159 hits | 37 homers | 103 RBI
- Slash line: .288 avg. / .368 on-base / .556 slugging / .924 OPS / 9.0 WAR*
- Awards: 10th Gold Glove, 17th all-star selection, 3rd in MVP voting
- Milestones: 535th career home run Aug. 17, passing Jimmie Foxx for second place behind only Babe Ruth.
1967
Mays played 141 games, his lowest total since returning from military service. The Giants remained in postseason contention until the final day of the season.
- Counting stats: 83 runs | 128 hits | 22 homers | 70 RBI
- Slash line: .263 avg. / .334 on-base / .453 slugging / .787 OPS / 4.4 WAR
- Awards: 11th Gold Glove, 18th All-Star selection
1968
Mays scored the lone run in the All-Star Game and became the only player to win MVP honors twice. He won a Gold Glove for the last time.
- Counting stats: 84 runs | 144 hits | 23 homers | 79 RBI | 12 steals
- Slash line: .289 avg. / .372 on-base / .488 slugging / .860 OPS / 6.3 WAR
- Awards: 12th Gold Glove, 19th all-star selection, 13th in MVP voting
1969
Mays stole the 300th base of his career April 8 and became only the second player to reach 600 home runs. The Giants finished second in the NL for the fifth season in a row.
- Counting stats: 64 runs | 114 hits | 13 homers | 58 RBI
- Slash line: .283 avg. / .362 on-base / .437 slugging / .798 OPS / 3.1 WAR
- Awards: 20th all-star selection
- Milestones: 600th career home run Sept. 22 vs. San Diego
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1970
Mays had 19 home runs at the all-star break, and he became the 10th member of the 3,000-hit club.
- Counting stats: 94 runs | 139 hits | 28 homers | 83 RBI
- Slash line: .291 avg. / .390 on-base / .506 slugging / .897 OPS / 5.2 WAR
- Awards: 21st all-star selection
- Milestones: 3,000th career hit July 18 vs. Montreal
1971
The Giants beat the Dodgers to win the division but lost to the Pirates in the playoffs, with Mays hitting his only career postseason home run in Game 2 of the championship series. At 40, he stole 23 bases in 26 attempts, led the NL in walks (112) and played 48 games at first base. Mays was the inaugural recipient of the Commissioner’s Award for character and charitable work, later renamed the Roberto Clemente Award.
- Counting stats: 82 runs | 113 hits | 18 homers | 61 RBI | 23 steals
- Slash line: .271 avg. / .425 on-base* / .482 slugging / .907 OPS / 6.3 WAR
- Awards: 22nd all-star selection, 19th in MVP voting
- Milestones: 1,950th run scored May 31, passing Stan Musial for the NL lead
1972
Mays was traded to the Mets after 19 games, and the Giants retired his No. 24 shortly after. He homered in his first game playing again for a team in New York.
- Counting stats: 35 runs | 61 hits | 8 homers | 22 RBI
- Slash line: .250 avg. / .400 on-base / .402 slugging / .802 OPS / 1.8 WAR
- Awards: 23rd all-star selection
1973
His retirement was announced in September, and the Mets finished 20-8 to make the playoffs. Mays played only in Game 5 of the championship series against Cincinnati, delivering a pinch-hit single with the bases loaded in the fifth and later scoring a run in a 7-2 victory for the Mets. He drove in the eventual winning run in Game 2 of the World Series against Oakland with a single off Rollie Fingers in the 12th inning, the last hit of his career.
- Counting stats: 24 runs | 44 hits | 6 homers | 25 RBI
- Slash line: .211 avg. / .303 on-base / .344 slugging / .647 OPS / 0.0 WAR
- Awards: 24th all-star selection, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979 (named on 94.7 percent of ballots).
Note: Wins above replacement calculations by Baseball-Reference.
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