by Barbaraanne Helberg

Created on: January 11, 2007   Last Updated: June 01, 2010

Willie Howard Mays Jr., the "Say-Hey Kid", did all the things in the game of baseball that the greatest players of all time would do, and more.

Born on May 6, 1931, Mays stepped to the plate for his first Major League baseball game in 1951 for the New York Giants, and he retired after 22 stunning seasons. He made what is considered the greatest catch ever in the World Series in 1954, turning his back to a blast off the bat of Vic Wertz and grabbing the ball over his shoulder still on the run for the long, long out in center field, where he played his entire career. The famous catch still rates as one of the best ever made in the sport; some say it's the best ever.

The greatest baseball players of all time are the fellows who could hit for average, club impressive home runs, and get on base when needed, whether by slugging, slicing a single, or sacrificing their at bat in crucial situations. The greatest players were blessed with great arms capable of throwing out a runner headed for the plate. These players altered defenses, stole bases, fielded their positions in Gold Glove style, and brought groans of dispair to the lips of great pitchers.

Giants Manager Leo Durocher gave the "greatest player ever" nod to Mays. "What can I say about Willie Mays after I say he's the greatest player any of us has ever seen?" Durocher stated. Mays was a member of the All-Century Team gathered together more than a decade ago and garnered the most votes for best ever player.

In all of baseball's history, the "greatest players" were typically great in all categories of the game. Statistically speaking, the only player who outdid Mays in most of the stats categories kept was "The Georgia Peach", Detroit Tiger star Tyrus Raymond Cobb, who played 24 years in the Majors. Cobb's birth date is January 24, 1886. He played from 1905 to 1928.

Mays Career Stats:

Games played, 2992; At bats, 10881; Runs scored, 2062; Hits, 3283; Doubles, 523; Triples, 140; Home runs, 660; Runs batted in, 1903; Bases on balls, 1464; Intentional bases on balls, 192; Strikeouts, 1526; Batting average, .302; Stolen bases, 338; Caught stealing base, 103.

Mays won two Most Valuable Player awards many years apart, 1954 and 1965, proving his skill durability. He didn't play baseball for most of 1952 and missed the entire season in 1953, as he served in the U.S. Army during those periods.

He hit over 35 home runs in ten different seasons and won the stolen base title four times, was sixth, or higher in MVP

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