Evening star., 1954-12-16
|16of a Voters
Give Top Spot
To Giants Star
Kluszewski Beats Out
AntoneIli and Snider
For Second PIoce
By The AssocIatsd Press

NEW YORK, Dec. 16.-Willie
Mays. spectacular center fielder
of the World Champion Giants.
has been voted the most valuable
player in the National League
for 1854 by the Baseball Writer'S
Association of America.
The young Negro outfielder,
whose amazing exploits at bat
and in the field were prime fac
tors In the Giants pennant and
World Series success, was the
overwhelming choice of the "a
man committee. receiving 283
points as compared to 217 for
the runnerup. Ted Kluszewski,
Cincinnati first baseman.
The 23-year-old Mays was
named on every ballot. He re-
ceived 16 first-place votes. 2
second-place votes, 3 for third
and ! each for fourth. fifth and
seventh. Kluszewski received 7
f1rst-place votes. 6 for second, 2
for third, 5 for fourth and / each
for fifth. sixth and eighth.
Antonelli, Snider Follow.
Pitcher Johnny Antonelli of
the Giants finished third in the
voting with l54 points. Out
fielder Duke Snider of the Dodg-
ers was fourth with 135 votes
and Shortstop AL Dark of the
Giants wound up fifth with ITO.
Dark received the other first
place vote. ......
Stan Musial of the Cardinals
was sixth with 81 votes, fol-
lowed by Robin Roberts of the
Phillies with 70. Then came
Joe Adcock of the Braves with
so, Peewee Reese of Brooklyn,
SO, and Gil Hodges, also of the
Dodgers, 40.
Playing his first full season in
the majors, Mays captured the
league batting championship
with a .343 average, led the cir
cult with 13 triples and also
won the slugging title with an
impressive .667 percentage. His
extra-base output included 80
doubles, 13 triples and Al homers.
He also was up among the
leaders with ITO runs batted in.
The 1.-THE, 5-foot-1012 native
Of Fairfield, Ala, was just as
spectacular in the field. His
amazing catches and throws had
veteran observers comparing
him to such former outfield
greats as Iris Speaker. Joe
DiMaggio and Terry Moore.
His sensational back-to- the
plate catch of Vic Wertz' 450-
foot drive to deepest center
field, which saved the opening
game of the recent World Series,
Is regarded as one of the great
est ever made in any fall
classic.
Sparked 81 Pennant Drive.
Mays. hailed by Leo Durocher,
manager of the Giants, as the
greatest young player he has
seen in the last Is years, was
purchased by the Giants from
the Birmingham club of the
Negro leagues in the winter of
1949. After only 116 games in
the minors t81 with Trenton and
35 with Minneapolis), the Negro
youth was brought up to the Polo
Grounds in the middle of the
1851 season and he Immediately
spanked them to their first pen
nant in II years.
Willie batted only .274 in his
freshman season but he felded
spectacularly, walloped 20 hon.
ers, drove IN 68 runs in 121 games
and proved an inspirational force
to his teammates The Giants
were still in first place when
Mays left them in May, 1852, for
a 19-month hitch in the Army.
With Willie gone, the Giants
dropped to second in 1852 and
skidded to fifth the following
year.
The return Of Mays last year
conceded with the Giants bril-
liant comeback that was cli-
NAKED by a four-game sweep of
the Indians in the World Series.
For a while, Willie was being
bracketed will. Babe Ruth as
result of sensational home run
spree that had him 10 games
| (See MAYS page C.2A