McGee, Willie D.
Baseball
b. Nov. 2, 1958, San Francisco, CA
A switch-hitting, right-handed throwing outfielder, McGee had an up-and-down major league career. In 18 seasons, he hit over .300 just seven times, but he won two National League batting titles.
Originally drafted by the New York Yankees, McGee was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and entered the major leagues with them in 1982. He had his best year in 1985, when he led the league with 216 hits, 18 triples, and a .353 batting average. He stole 56 bases, scored 114 runs, and was named the league's most valuable player.
The next time McGee hit over .300 was in 1990, when he won another NL batting title at .335, even though he finished the season in the other league. After playing the first 125 games of the season with St. Louis, McGee was traded to the AL's Oakland As for their drive to the pennant, but he still had enough plate appearances for his average to stand up.
McGee joined the NL's San Francisco Giants as a free agent in 1991. After missing most of the 1994 season with a torn Achilles tendon, he appeared in 67 games for the Boston Red Sox in 1995 and then returned to the Cardinals as a free agent. After two more good seasons, his average dropped to .253 in 1998. McGee retired after hitting just . 251 in with the Cardinals in 1999.