Willie Mays was born on May 6, 1931 in Fairfield, Alabama. His professional debut was on July 4, 1948 with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro League. In 1950, he signed with the Giants organization, and in 1951 made his major league debut. That year he went on to win the National League's Rookie of the Year award, with 20 home runs, 68 RBIs, and outstanding fielding. After two years in the Army, Mays returned to baseball and led the Giants to the world championship. He was named 1954 MVP with 41 homers, 110 RBIs, and a.345 batting average. He was also named MVP in 1965. So incredible was his career, Mays even had a Saturday morning cartoon. As great as he was offensively, he is arguably the best defensive outfielder to ever play the game. In 1973, Mays finished his career with 2,992 games (3rd all-time), 3,283 hits (7th), and 660 home runs (3rd). In appreciation for his outstanding career, "The Say-Hey Kid" was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1979.