Joe Mays

[William Malone]

Joseph Emerson Mays was born on December 10, 1975 in Flint, Michigan.

The Seattle Mariners selected him in round six of the 1994 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins at the 1997 deadline, with Seattle receiving veteran outfielder Roberto Kelly. Mays debuted in 1999, going 6-11 with a 4.67 ERA over 171.0 innings as a rookie. He followed this up by going 7-15 with a 5.56 ERA in 28 starts during the 2000 season.

Mays broke out in 2001, going 17-11 with a 3.16 ERA. He made the All-Star team, pitching a 1-2-3 fifth inning while facing three Hall of Fame hitters; Larry Walker, Mike Piazza and Chipper Jones. Minnesota locked Jones up with a four year, $30 million deal during the off-season. This bought him out of his future arbitration years, and his first free agency year.

Injuries began to slow Mays down during the duration of his new contract. He was limited to just 17 starts due to elbow tendinitis in 2002, but was healthy enough to be part of the Twins postseason rotation. After a rough outing in game two of the ALDS, Mays tossed a gem in game one of the ALCS against the Anaheim Angels. He allowed four hits and one unearned run across eight innings, leading Minnesota to a 2-1 victory. It was their last win of the season, as they wound up losing the series in five games. Mays allowed three runs over 5.1 innings during the game five loss.

He had a 6.30 ERA in 2003, making 21 starts and ten relief appearances. Mays underwent Tommy John surgery in the off-season, and missed all of 2004. He went 6-10 with 5.65 ERA in 2005, making 26 starts and five relief appearances.

Mays split 2006 with the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds. He spent 2007 on a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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