| Dave May | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1943-12-23)December 23, 1943 New Castle, Delaware, U.S. | |
| Died: October 20, 2012(2012-10-20) (aged 68) Bear, Delaware, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 28, 1967, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1978, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .251 |
| Home runs | 96 |
| Runs batted in | 422 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
David LaFrance May (December 23, 1943 – October 20, 2012) was an American professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball as anoutfielder from1967 through1978 for theBaltimore Orioles,Milwaukee Brewers,Atlanta Braves,Texas Rangers and thePittsburgh Pirates. May was a member of theAL pennant winning Orioles team in1969 and, was an American LeagueAll-Star player with the Brewers in1973. He was thefather of MLB scout David May Jr. and MLB playerDerrick May.[1]
A native ofNew Castle, Delaware, he graduated fromWilliam Penn High School.[2] He signed with theSan Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent in 1961.[1] He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, and was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 186 pounds (84 kg). The only year he spent in the Giants organization was in 1962 with theSalem Rebels, in which he led the team with a .379batting average.[3]
May appeared in his first Major League game with theBaltimore Orioles. During the time he was with Baltimore (1967–1970), he never had higher than a .242batting average and 152at bats. He was dealt from theOrioles to theBrewers forDick Baney andBuzz Stephen before the trade deadline on June 15, 1970.[4] However, upon coming to the Brewers, he became an effective hitter. In his first full season in Milwaukee,1971, May hit 16home runs and had 65RBI, and batted .277. After an off year in1972, he rebounded to finish eighth in theMVP voting in1973 with a .303 batting average, 25 home runs, and 93 RBI. He also led the league intotal bases, and placed in second inhits. May is one of two Delawareans to make theAll-Star Game. However, his production declined in1974, so the Brewers traded him to theAtlanta Braves forHank Aaron.
May was part of a five-for-one trade that sent him,Ken Henderson,Roger Moret,Adrian Devine,Carl Morton and $200,000 from the Braves to the Rangers forJeff Burroughs on December 9, 1976.[5] May was traded back to Milwaukee at trade deadline in 1978 to help the team on a pennant push. As the Brewers faded, he was traded just before the August waiver wire deadline to thePittsburgh Pirates.
May went to spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies and was their final cut before the 1979 season. He signed and played for Santo Domingo in the fledgling Inter-American League until it went defunct during the 1979 season. May then became a minor league coach, serving as a roving hitting instructor for the Atlanta Braves in 1981 and 1982
May was inducted into theDelaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1984.[6]
May died at age 68 inBear, Delaware, on October 20, 2012.[2]