Derrick May (baseball) facts for kids

Derrick Brant May (born July 14, 1968) is a former American baseball player. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ten seasons. He also played three seasons in Japan. After his playing career, May became a coach. He even managed a team in the MLB Draft League.

May batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1986. He was only 17 years old at the time. Before playing in the major leagues, May was an All-Star in the minor leagues.

He played for several MLB teams. These include the Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos, and Baltimore Orioles. In Japan, he played for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

During his MLB career, May had a batting average of .271. He hit 52 home runs and had 310 RBI (Runs Batted In). In Japan, he hit 59 home runs in only three seasons.

May has received several honors. He was named Delaware Athlete of the Year in 1993. He was also inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2019, he joined the Delaware Baseball Hall of Fame.

Derrick May comes from a baseball family. His father, Dave May, was also a major league outfielder. His brother, David May Jr., is a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays. His son Donovan is a scout for the Boston Red Sox.

Coaching Career Highlights

Derrick May has had a long coaching career after playing. He worked for the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 2005 to 2016. He was a hitting coach for their minor league teams. He also became an assistant hitting coach for the main Cardinals team in 2016.

• 2005: He coached the Palm Beach Cardinals to win the Florida State League Championship.
• 2007: He was promoted to the Springfield Cardinals (Double-A team). They reached the Texas League championship finals. His team led the league in hitting.
• 2011-2016: He became the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league hitting coordinator. This means he oversaw hitting instruction for all their minor league players.
• 2014: He won the George Kissell award for excellence in player development.
• 2017: May joined the Colorado Rockies organization. He became the hitting coach for the Lancaster JetHawks. This team led their league in hitting, hits, and stolen bases.

In 2021, May became the manager of the Frederick Keys. This is a team in the MLB Draft League. In 2022, he was named the Organization Hitting Coordinator for the SSG Landers baseball club in Korea.

Best Playing Season

Derrick May's best season in MLB was in 1993.

• He had a .295 batting average.
• He hit 10 home runs.
• He had 77 RBI.
• He scored 62 runs.
• He hit 25 doubles.
• He stole 10 stolen bases.
• He played in 128 games. All of these were career-highs for him.

More About Derrick May

• List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
• List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
• Cardinal's Derrick May on What it takes to get to the big leagues - Pro Baseball Insider