Lucas James May (born October 24, 1984) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

who played for the Kansas City Royals in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). May graduated from Parkway West High School in

Ballwin, Missouri Ballwin is a southwestern suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 31,103 as of the 2020 census. History Ballwin was established in 1837. The community was named for John Ball, who settled a ...

. From there, he skipped college and entered the

Major League Baseball draft The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...

in 2003. He was selected by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in the 8th round as the 241st overall pick. He played in

with the Kansas City Royals in 2010.

Career

Los Angeles Dodgers

May began his professional career after he signed with the Dodgers. He played at the rookie level for the

Gulf Coast Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compo ...

in 2003. He played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

and batted .252 with no home runs in 48 games. In 2004, May stayed at the rookie level, playing for the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitcher ...

. Playing in only 34 games, he had a .286

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 5 home runs. He was promoted to Single-A in 2005, playing for the

Columbus Catfish The Columbus Catfish were a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia. They were a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and were an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The Catfish relocated to Bowling Green, ...

. He played shortstop as well as beginning to play in the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

. His bad defense had prompted the organization to make the switch as he committed 18 errors in 46 games in 2003, 18 errors in 34 games in 2004, and 26 errors in 46 games. May played for the Catfish again in 2006, this time seeing all his action in the outfield. In 119 games, he had a .273 batting average and showed some power, hitting 18 home runs. In 2007, May was promoted to the next level. He played for the Advanced Single-A

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchis ...

. Switching positions again, he played the whole year as a catcher and displayed power in his 128 games played. His 25 home runs were tied for second in the California League and his 89

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

were good enough for 10th in the league. His slugging percentage was little more than 200 points higher than his batting average and his strikeout totals went down from 130 to 107 from the previous year. He was named to the California League All-Star team and went 1 for 4 with two runs scored in the All-Star game. Following the season on November 20, 2007, May's contract was purchased by the Los Angeles Dodgers, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. The Dodgers assigned May to the Double-A

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

for the 2008 season where he hit .230 with 13 home runs in 392 at bats. In 2009, May played for the Dodgers' new Double-A affiliate, the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

. He was named to the Southern League mid-season All-Star team and after the season played for

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

in the

2009 Baseball World Cup The 2009 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 38th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through t ...

where he hit 3 home runs, playing in all games as a starting catcher. After starting 2010 with Chattanooga, he was shortly promoted to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

and was selected to the Pacific Coast League all-star team.

Kansas City Royals

On July 28, 2010, the Dodgers traded May, along with pitcher Elisaul Pimentel, to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder

Scott Podsednik Scott Eric Podsednik (; born March 18, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Best known for his baserunning, Podsednik led the major leagues in stolen bases in with 70, in times caught stea ...

. He was assigned to play for the

Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

. He was called up to the Royals on September 1, 2010 and made his Major League debut on September 4 against the Detroit Tigers, where he was hitless in three at-bats. On September 12 against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

he recorded his first major league hit, a single to left field off of Matt Thornton.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On June 1, 2011, the Royals traded May to the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

for Andrea Pizziconi.

New York Mets

May signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

on December 12, 2011.

Pittsburgh Pirates

May played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2013.

Milwaukee Brewers

May signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on January 30, 2014. While playing for Triple-A Nashville on August 27, 2014, May was the final batter at

Herschel Greer Stadium Herschel Greer Stadium was a Minor League Baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, on the grounds of Fort Negley, an American Civil War fortification, approximately south of the city's downtown district. The facility closed at the end of the 2 ...

, the Sounds' home for the first 37 years of its existence. In his only plate appearance of the night, he struck out swinging on a full count with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning to end the game and secure an 8-5 loss.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Lucas 1984 births Albuquerque Isotopes players Baseball players from Nevada Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Columbus Catfish players Gulf Coast Dodgers players Huntsville Stars players Indianapolis Indians players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Jacksonville Suns players Kansas City Royals players Living people Nashville Sounds players Ogden Raptors players Omaha Royals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Reno Aces players Sportspeople from Las Vegas Peoria Javelinas players Surprise Rafters players