Maury Wills ✝

Maurice Morning Wills (born October 2, 1932) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 through 1966 and the latter part of 1969 through 1972 as a shortstop and switch-hitter; he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1967 and 1968, and the Montreal Expos the first part of 1969. Wills was an essential component of the Dodgers\' championship teams in the mid-1960s, and is credited for reviving the stolen base as part of baseball strategy.\n', ' Wills was an All-Star for five seasons and seven All-Star Games, and was the first MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1962. He also was the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1962, and a Gold Glove winner in 1961 and 1962. In a fourteen-year career, Wills batted .281 with 20 home runs, 458 runs batted in, 2,134 hits, 1,067 runs, 177 doubles, 71 triples, and 586 stolen bases in 1,942 games. Since 2009, Wills is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization serving as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau.\n', ' In 2014, Wills appeared for the first time as a candidate on the National Baseball Hall of Fame\'s Golden Era Committee election ballot for possible Hall of Fame consideration in 2015 which required 12 votes. Wills missed getting elected by 3 votes. All the other candidates on the ballot also missed being elected. The Committee meets and votes on ten selected candidates from the 1947 to 1972 era every three years.\n', '