Who did Willie Mays play for? From start with Birmingham Black Barons to Hall of Fame run with Giants

Baseball legend Willie Mays died Tuesday at 93 years old, just two days before the Giants' trip to Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, where Mays' professional career began.

The Hall of Fame outfielder got his start as a teenager for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues before becoming a star MLB player.

Mays played in 24 All-Star games, won 12 Gold Gloves and made one of the greatest catches in MLB history during the 1954 World Series for the Giants.

Here's a look back at Mays' career and the three teams he played for over his 25 years of professional baseball.

MORE: Revisiting Willie Mays' Hall of Fame stats, accolades

Who did Willie Mays play for?

Mays played for three teams during his professional career, one in the Negro Leagues and two in MLB:

• Birmingham Black Barons (1948)
• New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-52, 1954-72)
• New York Mets (1972-73)

Mays debuted with the Black Barons at just 17 years old. He generated immediate interest from MLB teams, but they had to wait until he graduated high school to offer him a contract. The Giants ultimately won the bidding war for his services, and he spent two years in their minor league system after signing before making his MLB debut.

Mays missed most of the 1952 MLB season and all of 1953 after being drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in the Korean War. He played just 34 games over those two seasons combined, posting a .236/.326/.409 slash line with four home runs.

Upon his return, Mays played 22 more seasons in MLB and made a whopping 24 All-Star appearances.

MORE: Why Willie Mays was known as the 'Say Hey Kid'

Willie Mays Negro League stats

Mays got his professional baseball start with the Birmingham Black Barons. He appeared in 13 games for the squad after being noticed playing for the Chattanooga Choo-Choos, a minor league team for the Negro Leagues.

Mays played only home games for the Black Barons as part of an agreement reached with Fairfield Industrial High School principal E.T. Oliver that kept Mays from being suspended and allowed him to continue playing high school football.

Below is a look at Mays' stats from his brief stint with the Black Barons:

Mays' strong defensive skills and quality baserunning helped the Black Barons reach the 1948 Negro World Series. Birmingham lost that series, 4-1, to the Homestead Grays.

MORE: The best moments of Willie Mays' career, including 'The Catch'

Willie Mays Giants stats

Mays' performance as a 17-year-old professional was strong enough that MLB teams noticed him. The Giants eventually signed him to a $4,000 contract in 1950, after he graduated high school, and allowed Mays to develop for a couple of seasons in the minor leagues.

Mays quickly proved himself for the Trenton Giants and Minneapolis Millers, and he particularly thrived during his 35-game stint in Minneapolis. He posted a .477/.524/.799 slash line across 164 at-bats with eight homers, 30 RBI and five stolen bases, demonstrating he had the batting chops needed to match his elite athleticism, strong defense and high-level baserunning skills.

That earned Mays a call-up to the big leagues. He made his MLB debut for the Giants on May 25, 1951 — three years to date after his first game with the Black Barons.

Mays went on to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time, spending 21 years with the Giants and showcasing his five-tool ability. He led MLB in stolen bases and home runs four times each during his career and won two MVPs while recording 3,187 hits and 646 homers with the Giants.

Below is a look at his full stats with the club:

Mays also earned 12 Gold Gloves across his 21 seasons with the Giants and made one of the most iconic catches in MLB history during the 1954 World Series. The Giants won the championship that season, the lone World Series title of Mays' career.

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Willie Mays Mets trade, stats

Mays played the final two seasons of his MLB career with the Mets. Originally, he wanted to sign a long-term contract with the Giants, but San Francisco was too cash-strapped to give him that type of deal.

Eventually, Mays was traded to the Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and undisclosed financial considerations. The Giants were rumored to have received $100,000 as part of the deal.

Mays played 69 games for the Mets in 1972 and 66 in 1973 before retiring. Below are his stats across that action during his final two seasons:

Mays hit a career-low .211 during his final season with the Mets, which is part of what prompted his retirement.

Still, even with his minor, late-career decline, Mays established himself as one of the best players in MLB history. His 156.2 career WAR is the fifth-most in MLB history, and a strong case can be made that he was the most complete baseball player of all time.