Ranking the 5 best hitting first basemen in Cincinnati Reds history

4. Best hitting first baseman in Reds history: Lee May (1965-1971)

Lee May spent his first seven major league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. During his time in Cincinnati, May was a two-time All-Star and received MVP consideration twice.

The 1970s slugger was best known for his power, as he crushed 147 home runs in just over 750 games as the Reds first baseman. That places May behind just behind Joey Votto and Ted Kluszewski in the history of Cincinnati first basemen.

May was more than just a slugger though, as he also hit .275 during his Cincinnati career. May played his best baseball in Cincinnati including a three-year stretch (1969-1971) where he hit 38, 34, and 39 home runs. That's a difficult feat in the era of exit velo and launch angle, but was perhaps more difficult during May's playing days.

The Big Bopper was a legendary first baseman and was elected into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2006. May will forever be known as one of the first members of the Big Red Machine. The 1970 team won the National League pennant for the first time in almost a decade.

Lee May's impact on Reds baseball will resonate forever and he will always be one of the best hitting Reds first basemen in history. However, he may be more well-known as one of the key pieces that brought future Hall of Famer Joe Morgan to Cincinnati. May was sent to Houston as part of the trade that allowed Morgan to join the Big Red Machine.