Willy Mays was born on May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Alabama. His father William Howard Mays Sr. Played baseball for a semi professional called the Birmingham market League and Willy's mum Ann was a track star in high school. At a very young age Willy was playing catch with his father and studying the basics of the game. Young Mays played baseball enduringly and would sit in the dugout at his father's games and studying the art of playing baseball. It wasn't long after that Willy at the age of 13 began playing for the Gray Sox, a semi professional team. Soon after this gifted baseball player was playing town field for the Black Baron and getting paid 0 a month.
In 1950 Willy Mays caught the attentiveness of a scout from the New York Giants baseball team. Mays was offered a 00 signing bonus and 0 per month salary to play on the Giants minor league team in Iowa. In the 1951 season Mays' excellent execution won him a position on the triple A team the Minneapolis Millers. Leo Durocher was employer of the New York Giants team at the time and was impressed with Mays' performance. He gave Willy Mays the town field position and made him the number 3 batter in the Giants lineup. Mays went on to hit 20 home runs that season with a.274 batting average. He was named the National Leagues Rookie of the Year for the 1951 season.
Willy Mays' professional vocation began in 1950 at the age 19 and came to an end in 1973 at 42 yrs old. Willy's description speaks for itself with 2 Mvp awards, 24 All Star games, 660 vocation home runs and in 1999 he was named second in the 100 many baseball players of all times by The Sports News.
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Willy Mays