John David Milner (December 28, 1949 – January 4, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from to for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal Expos. Milner was a member of the National League pennant-winning New York Mets team, as well as a member of the world champion Pittsburgh Pirates team. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he grew up a huge Hank Aaron fan, even appropriating his idol's nickname, "The Hammer". New York Mets Milner was drafted by the New York Mets in the 14th round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft out of South Fulton High School in East Point, Georgia, where he was All-State in baseball, football and basketball. He batted .307 with 58 home runs and 168 runs batted in over three seasons in their farm system before making his major league debut with the Mets in September . He earned the job of "left-handed bat off the bench" on the opening day roster in by batting .296 with a team high three home runs during spring training, and quickly moved into a platoon with Cleon Jones in left field. In the first game of a September 8 doubleheader with the St. Louis Cardinals, Milner became the first Mets rookie in franchise history to record a five-hit game. For the season, he batted .238 with a team high 17 home runs and 38 runs batted in to finish third in National League Rookie of the Year balloting behind teammate Jon Matlack. For , Milner was moved to first base. He was leading his team with a .328 batting average, five home runs and thirteen runs batted in when he suffered a hamstring injury against the Houston Astros on April 25, an injury that plagued him for the rest of his career. He returned to the club in mid-May, but went into a 12-for-82 slump that saw his batting average fall to .216. He returned to form by the end of the season to lead his team with 72 runs batted in and a career high 23 home runs as the Mets completed their improbable run to their second National League East crown. The Mets pulled off the surprise victory over Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" in the 1973 National League Championship Series, but lost in seven games to the Oakland Athletics