Article: Dave May, Forgotten Outfielder of the Early Brewers Squads

[reillymcshane]

In the first few years of the Brewer franchise, good hitting was hard to find, but a few players produced quality seasons in those dark years, including Tommy Harper and Johnny Briggs. Another of the organization’s earliest contributors was outfielder Dave May. 

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

David LaFrance May was born in Delaware in 1943. He signed with the San Francisco Giants in 1961 for a $15,000 bonus - turning down multiple college scholarship offers. Dave May was not tall, 5’10”, and somewhat stocky. The left-handed hitting May displayed his hitting skills from the get-go, winning the batting title in rookie ball with a .379 average. The following year, May was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the first-year player draft (this long abandoned process was designed to discourage big bonuses being offered to amateur talent). 

May continued to be able to hit as he moved up the minor league rungs with Baltimore, ultimately producing a lifetime batting average of .321 in the minors. He didn’t strike out a lot, showed some speed, and took his fair share of walks. He was considered a good outfielder.

May got his first taste of the majors in 1967, appearing in 36 games for the Orioles. 

Over the next few years, May spent time at AAA or as a reserve with Baltimore - never really getting into any groove due to the erratic playing time. Then, in June of 1970, the Orioles dealt the 26-year-old to Milwaukee. The Brewers sent Dick Baney and Buzz Stephen to the O’s, neither of whom ever played for Baltimore.

May was installed in center field for Milwaukee, starting 100 games that year. He became a staple in Milwaukee for nearly five years - producing some good - and bad - seasons.

His finest season was in 1973 when May hit .303 with 25 HR and 93 RBI. He had a 24-game hitting streak that summer and led the league with 295 total bases. He produced 4.7 bWAR, was named to the All-Star team and finished eighth in the American League MVP voting. 

After slumping badly in 1974, the Brewers traded the 30-year-old May to the Atlanta Braves for the legendary Hank Aaron. May spent two seasons in Atlanta and another in Texas, his playing time and production waning as he aged. 

In 1978, May returned to Milwaukee - but his second stint lasted just 39 games and 77 at-bats before he was sold to Pittsburgh. He was signed as a free agent by Philadelphia in the offseason but was released in spring training.

May spent part of the year playing for the Inter-American League - a high-level minor league circuit unaffiliated with the majors. The league lasted only three months before shutting down. With that, Dave May’s professional baseball playing career was over. He was 35 years old. 

May continued to play baseball at the semi-pro level with the Colonial Wallace back in his home state of Delaware. He played for five years - selling furniture when off the diamond. One of his teammates was former Brewer Johnny Briggs. 

May served as a roving hitting coach for the Braves for a couple of years but mostly remained in Delaware. In addition to selling furniture and appliances, he worked as a sports site director and cook. However, he was plagued by health problems as he got older. In 2003, he was diagnosed with diabetes, and his right leg was amputated. He also dealt with heart issues. May died in 2012 at the age of 68 due to cancer. 

May was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Delaware Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Dave May had three children, including Derrick May, who went on to be a 1st round pick by the Chicago Cubs. Derrick played parts of 10 years in the majors as an outfielder - just like his dad. His son David Jr. played college baseball at the University of Delaware.

Dave May was not a great baseball player, but he was a bright light for a couple of years in the early days of Brewer baseball. His 1971 and 1973 seasons were very good - especially the 1973 season. 

In his five years in Milwaukee, May hit .259 with 69 home runs. Unfortunately, his good seasons were balanced by bad ones. He wasn’t around long enough to accumulate big numbers - and his skillset was balanced - so he did not produce eye-popping stats. At his peak, May produced bWARs of 3.1, 2.5, and 4.7, showing his value as a steady, productive player.

Also, May had a reputation as one of the friendliest and most well-liked players in the game. 

Please share your memories of former Brewer Outfielder Dave May.

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[Babe Ruth is Dead]

As a little kid at this time I was excited for getting a Baltimore Oriole player as they were the top team.  I just thought at the time the best teams always had the best players, even the backups like May.  Also thought this about Curt Motton when the Brewers got him a couple of seasons later.  I found out differently then!  Davey May though was a very dependable player and the Brewers could count on him game in and game out.  And he "helped" get Hank Aaron back in Milwaukee!

[Matthew Trueblood]

9 hours ago, Babe Ruth is Dead said:

As a little kid at this time I was excited for getting a Baltimore Oriole player as they were the top team.  I just thought at the time the best teams always had the best players, even the backups like May.  Also thought this about Curt Motton when the Brewers got him a couple of seasons later.  I found out differently then!  Davey May though was a very dependable player and the Brewers could count on him game in and game out.  And he "helped" get Hank Aaron back in Milwaukee!

That wasn't an unreasonable way to think about things, though--especially back then. Even now, I think there's merit to it. When a guy like Mike Brosseau becomes available cheaply, you can understand that it's partially because of his limitations as a player, but also keep in mind that it's partially because of the depth that the Rays always have. 

The Orioles of that era were such an awesome scouting and player development outfit. And then, of course, the Brewers imported much of that excellent staff, in the late 1970s!

[JohnBriggs12]

I don't consider the teams May played on as "dark years".  The 73 season they had a 20 game winner in Jim Colborn, a 10 game winning streak, and a solid everyday lineup that included May, Scott, Briggs, Porter, Money and the overlooked Ollie Brown.  Guys like Bobby Coluccio and Pedro Garcia also contributed.  If fact that group finished in the top half of the AL in runs scored and home runs, and was 6 games over .500 as late as June 24.

I know most of you weren't alive back then, but I remember it well.  That was the year Milwaukee and Wisconsin really for the first time embraced the Brewers.  They hit 1 million in attendance for the first time, and while that doesn't seem like much, believe me when I say crowds back then were louder and more alive than anything you see today.  When those Brewer teams had a rally going, 15,000 fans sounded like 50,000.  I remember when the crowd got so loud with the bases loaded one night that a pitcher for the Red Sox literally could not throw a strike and walked in like 3 runs.  Uecker, who even then had been around the game a while, had never seen anything like that and of course was a huge part in revving up fans.  That was the year that people first tuned in to post game show to hear Uke's calls of home runs.