Joe Mays
Encyclopedia
Joeseph Emerson Mays is a former Major League Baseball
right-handed pitcher
.
Mays is a 1994 graduate of Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida
. He also attended Manatee Community College in Bradenton. He and his wife, Melinda (née Rogers), have two children.
Mays began his major league career with the Twins on April 7, 1999. He missed all of the 2004 season to have Tommy John surgery
performed on his pitching arm. Through 2003, he posted a 42-55 record with a 4.70 ERA. Mays successfully bounced back from his surgery to rejoin the Twins' starting rotation at the beginning of the 2005 season, and recorded his first win since the 2003 season on April 27, 2005 against the Kansas City Royals.
Due to his losing record and disappointing ERA, on August 26, 2005, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
demoted Mays to the Twins bullpen and called up Scott Baker from AAA Rochester
to replace Mays in the pitching rotation.
On October 7, 2005, the Twins chose not to renew Mays' contract for 2006, making him a free agent. He signed with the Kansas City Royals on December 23, 2005.
Mays' Royals career was short-lived, as he was released on May 16, 2006 after posting an 0-4 record in 6 starts with a 10.27 ERA. On May 19, 2006, Mays signed a minor league contract with the Louisville Bats
. On June 6, Mays had his contract purchased by the Reds. However, Mays was designated for assignment on July 26, ending his short stint with the Reds.
Mays would spend a good deal of time as a free agent before signing a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers
on February 7, . The contract included an invitation to spring training
, where Mays failed to make the big league roster. Mays requested and received his release on May 16, 2007.
who threw the pitch that resulted in the death of Ray Chapman
on August 16, 1920.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
.
Mays is a 1994 graduate of Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
. He also attended Manatee Community College in Bradenton. He and his wife, Melinda (née Rogers), have two children.
Mays began his major league career with the Twins on April 7, 1999. He missed all of the 2004 season to have Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
performed on his pitching arm. Through 2003, he posted a 42-55 record with a 4.70 ERA. Mays successfully bounced back from his surgery to rejoin the Twins' starting rotation at the beginning of the 2005 season, and recorded his first win since the 2003 season on April 27, 2005 against the Kansas City Royals.
Due to his losing record and disappointing ERA, on August 26, 2005, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
Ron Gardenhire
Ronald Clyde "Gardy" Gardenhire is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.He is six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds during most of his baseball career....
demoted Mays to the Twins bullpen and called up Scott Baker from AAA Rochester
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
to replace Mays in the pitching rotation.
On October 7, 2005, the Twins chose not to renew Mays' contract for 2006, making him a free agent. He signed with the Kansas City Royals on December 23, 2005.
Mays' Royals career was short-lived, as he was released on May 16, 2006 after posting an 0-4 record in 6 starts with a 10.27 ERA. On May 19, 2006, Mays signed a minor league contract with the Louisville Bats
Louisville Bats
The Louisville Bats, which play in Louisville, Kentucky, are the AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The team, formerly known as the Louisville RiverBats, plays in the International League...
. On June 6, Mays had his contract purchased by the Reds. However, Mays was designated for assignment on July 26, ending his short stint with the Reds.
Mays would spend a good deal of time as a free agent before signing a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
on February 7, . The contract included an invitation to spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, where Mays failed to make the big league roster. Mays requested and received his release on May 16, 2007.
Personal
Mays is a distant cousin of submarine pitcher Carl MaysCarl Mays
Carl William Mays was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1929. Despite impressive career statistics, he is primarily remembered for throwing a beanball on August 16, 1920, that struck and killed Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians, making Chapman one of two people to die...
who threw the pitch that resulted in the death of Ray Chapman
Ray Chapman
Raymond Johnson Chapman was an American baseball player, spending his entire career as a shortstop for Cleveland....
on August 16, 1920.