Joseph Emerson Mays (born December 10, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.

Due to his losing record and disappointing ERA, on August 26, 2005, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire demoted Mays to the Twins bullpen and called up Scott Baker from AAA Rochester to replace Mays in the pitching rotation.

On October 7, 2005, the Twins chose not to renew Mays' contract for 2006, making him a free agent.

[6][7] The contract included an invitation to spring training, where Mays failed to make the big league roster.

[citation needed] Mays is a distant cousin of submarine pitcher Carl Mays who threw the pitch that resulted in the death of Ray Chapman, the only Major League Baseball player to die during a game as a direct result of an on-field injury, on August 16, 1920.