Carlos May facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carlos May |
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| Left fielder / Designated hitter / First baseman | |||
| Born: May 17, 1948 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 6, 1968, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| NPB: 1978, for the Nankai Hawks | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: October 2, 1977, for the California Angels | |||
| NPB: 1981, for the Nankai Hawks | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .274 | ||
| Home runs | 90 | ||
| Runs batted in | 536 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .309 | ||
| Home runs | 70 | ||
| Runs batted in | 252 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Carlos May (born May 17, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1968 to 1977. Carlos was known for playing as an outfielder, first baseman, and designated hitter. He spent most of his career with the Chicago White Sox. He was chosen as an All-Star player two times. He also played for the New York Yankees and the California Angels. After his time in MLB, he played in Japan for the Nankai Hawks from 1978 to 1981. Carlos is the younger brother of another famous baseball player, Lee May.
Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Carlos May was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He went to A. H. Parker High School. Even from a young age, he showed great talent in baseball.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Carlos started his big league career on September 6, 1968. His first full season was in 1970. In 1969, he had a serious injury while serving in the Marine Reserves. He was cleaning a mortar when it accidentally fired. This caused him to lose part of his right thumb.
Even with this injury, Carlos still played amazing baseball. He won the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award. However, he lost the main Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award to Lou Piniella.
In 1970, Carlos became the White Sox's full-time left fielder. He had a great season, hitting for a .285 batting average. He also hit 12 home runs and had 68 RBIs. Even though Carlos played well, the White Sox had a tough year.
In 1971, he continued to play well. He batted .294 and had 70 RBIs. This was the only time in his career he regularly played first base. He moved back to the outfield after the White Sox traded for superstar Dick Allen.
Carlos was a strong everyday player for the White Sox in the early 1970s. In 1972, he hit .308, which was his career best. He also stole 28 stolen bases, another career high. That year, Chicago finished second in their league.
In 1973, Carlos hit 20 home runs. He also had 96 RBIs, which were both career bests for him.
Carlos got a chance to play in the postseason, but not with the White Sox. On May 18, 1976, he was traded to the New York Yankees. The Yankees were trying hard to win their league. Carlos hit .278 that year. The Yankees made it to the World Series.
During the ALCS, Carlos had 2 hits in 10 tries. In the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, he did not get any hits in 9 tries.
Carlos was chosen as an All-Star in 1969 and 1972. He was among the top 10 players in batting average and stolen bases twice.
A cool fact about Carlos is that he wore his birthday on his uniform. When he played for the White Sox, his jersey number was 17. With his last name, "May," it read "MAY 17." This was his birthday! He is the only MLB player to have done this.
Over his 10-year career, Carlos hit for a .274 batting average. He had 90 home runs and 536 RBIs in 1165 games. He also had 85 stolen bases and scored 545 runs. He got 1127 hits in 4120 times at bat.
In 2012, Carlos joined the coaching staff for the Schaumburg Boomers. This is a baseball team in the Frontier League.
Life After Baseball
After playing baseball, Carlos May worked for the United States Postal Service. He was a mail carrier and a clerk for 20 years. Today, he works for the White Sox as a community relations representative.
Carlos is the younger brother of Lee May, who also played in the major leagues. In 1969, Carlos and Lee made history. They were the first brothers to play against each other in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Carlos played for the American League (AL), and Lee played for the National League (NL).
