Lee May Jr.
Lee Andrew May Jr.
- Bats Both, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
- High School Purcell Marian High School
Biographical Information[edit]
The son of Lee May and nephew of Carlos May, outfielder Lee May Jr. was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 1986 amateur draft, the 21st overall pick, and played eight seasons in the minors. He began his career with the Kingsport Mets, hitting only .188/~.219/.198 in 1986 with only 2 extra-base hits in 202 AB. Perhaps due to his lineage, he was rated the #9 prospect in the Appalachian League by a poll of league managers. Returning to rookie ball in '87, he hit .229/~.267/.327, a vast improvement but still a poor effort for a #1 pick, let alone one in his second season.
In 1988, May hit .211/~.253/.300 for the Little Falls Mets, missing the New York-Penn League lead in strikeouts by just four. In '89, Lee hit .237/~.275/.287 for the Pittsfield Mets and .205/~.268/.254 for the Columbia Mets with a total of 103 strikeouts in 341 AB that year. He actually had a decent year for the '90 St. Lucie Mets at .253/~.332/.318 with 52 steals in 70 tries. He struck out 122 times but was third in the Florida State League in stolen bases.
May batted .203/~.269/.277 for the 1991 Williamsport Bills and .257/~.311/.398 with the Tidewater Tides. He stole 24 and struck out 136 times in 409 AB. In '92, Lee hit .213/~.277/.281 for Tidewater with only 4 steals in 8 tries. Lee concluded his playing career by hitting .205/~.205/.205 in 14 games for the 1993 Memphis Chicks in the Kansas City Royals chain, striking out 16 times in 39 AB without drawing a walk.
May was hitting coach of the Burlington Indians in 2004 and began 2005 as coach of the Kinston Indians before managing Burlington. May coached for Team USA in the 2005 Baseball World Cup. In 2006 he was the manager of the Lake County Captains of the South Atlantic League. In 2007, he joined the Akron Aeros as a coach. In 2010-2011, May was a coach for the Columbus Clippers. After the 2011 season, he was hired by the Seattle Mariners as the minor league hitting coordinator, replacing Rick Down. May was hitting coach of the Greenville Drive in 2016 and Portland Sea Dogs in 2017-2019.
Lee Jr.'s son Jacob May made his major league debut in 2017.
Sources: 1987 Baseball America Statistics Report, 1988-1994 Baseball Almanacs, 1989 and 1991 Baseball Guides
Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record[edit]
Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Burlington Indians | Appalachian League | 15-28 | 10th | Cleveland Indians | replaced Sean McNally (10-15) | |
2006 | Lake County Captains | South Atlantic League | 64-74 | 13th | Cleveland Indians |
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