Willie Mays

The greatest Giant of them all Willie Mays, will always be considered among baseball’s best all-around players. “The Say Hey Kid” was a five-tool player before the term existed excelling in all aspects of the game, Mays could hit for average and power, run, throw and play defense as well if not better than any of his contemporaries and few before or since.

Mays won the National League’s first Gold Glove Award in 1957 and a record tying 12 consecutive in the ensuing years to follow. Mays was just the fourth African-American player signed by the New York Giants, the 17th in major league history, and was among the pioneering players to integrate spring training baseball in Arizona joining the Giants in Phoenix prior to his first full season in 1952.

The first major-league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 20 bases in the same season, Mays was also the first member of the National League’s 30/30 club (30 HRs and 30 steals in the same season) a feat that he accomplished in back-to-back seasons in 1956 and 1957.

At the time of his retirement Mays ranked third in home runs (660), runs scored (2,062) and total bases (6,066) and was among the top 10 in hits (3,283), RBI (1,903) and first in putouts by an outfielder (7,095). He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1951 and the league MVP award in 1954 and 1965.