Major League Baseball has had great five-tool players, players who can hit for average, power, as well as field, run, and throw well. One of those players is Willie Mays. Mays played in MLB for 23 seasons (New York/San Francisco Giants, 1951-1972, New York Mets, 1972-1973).
Mays won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award in 1951. After serving in the armed forces for two years, he won the 1954 NL MVP, hitting .345, which led the NL, with 41 home runs and 110 runs batted in.
Mays made one of the greatest catches of all time in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. The Giants won the World Series in a four game sweep.
Mays would excel over the next decade-plus. An excellent defensive centerfielder, Mays won 12 Gold Glove awards. He won another NL MVP in 1965. Mays made a record 24 All-Star teams.
Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of his career is that Willie Mays played the game with a childlike enthusiasm that made him beloved by fans.
He was also one of the most prolific performers in MBL history. He led the NL in wins above replacement 10 times, led the NL in runs scored twice, in stolen bases and home runs four times. Mays also led the NL in on-base percentage twice, slugging percentage five times, and on-base plus slugging percentage five times. He led the NL in total bases three times. Mays finished his career with 660 career home runs, which is 6th all-time, and he had 3,293 career hits.
Mays was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.
Mays, definitely a five-tool player, is regarded as one of the greatest players in MLB history.
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The original version was published on the author’s blog.
