Lee May
The Big Bopper's 39-homer 1971 season came at age 28, launching him from role player to middle-of-the-order force for Cincinnati's Big Red Machine. That career-best campaign featured his highest OPS+ at 127, finally unlocking the power that scouts had projected since his Houston days.
May's 354 career home runs tell the story of steady production rather than peak dominance. His OPS+ of 109 reflects a hitter who was consistently above average but never elite, making his three All-Star selections well-earned recognition for a player who delivered when the Machine needed punch.
The Louisiana native's 1,244 RBIs came from occupying the cleanup spot during Cincinnati's championship runs, though his .267 career average suggests he succeeded more through raw power than hit tool refinement.
Career · Batting
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | CIN | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | — |
| 1966 | CIN | 25 | 75 | 2 | 10 | .333 | .840 | — |
| 1967 | CIN | 127 | 438 | 12 | 57 | .265 | .730 | — |
| 1968 | CIN | 146 | 559 | 22 | 80 | .290 | .805 | — |
| 1969 | CIN | 158 | 607 | 38 | 110 | .278 | .860 | — |
| 1970 | CIN | 153 | 605 | 34 | 94 | .253 | .782 | 110 |
| 1971 | CIN | 147 | 553 | 39 | 98 | .278 | .864 | 127 |
| 1972 | HOU | 148 | 592 | 29 | 98 | .284 | .833 | 125 |
| 1973 | HOU | 148 | 545 | 28 | 105 | .270 | .789 | 112 |
| 1974 | HOU | 152 | 556 | 24 | 85 | .268 | .738 | 106 |
| 1975 | BAL | 146 | 580 | 20 | 99 | .262 | .732 | 104 |
| 1976 | BAL | 148 | 530 | 25 | 109 | .258 | .759 | 111 |
| 1977 | BAL | 150 | 585 | 27 | 99 | .253 | .722 | 99 |
| 1978 | BAL | 148 | 556 | 25 | 80 | .246 | .700 | 100 |
| 1979 | BAL | 124 | 456 | 19 | 69 | .254 | .709 | 97 |
| 1980 | BAL | 78 | 222 | 7 | 31 | .243 | .690 | 97 |
| 1981 | KC | 26 | 55 | 0 | 8 | .291 | .673 | 98 |
| 1982 | KC | 42 | 91 | 3 | 12 | .308 | .898 | 126 |
| Career | 2071 | 7609 | 354 | 1244 | .267 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.