Mel Ott (1951)


Date of Birth: 3/2/1909
Date of Death: 11/21/1958
Birthplace: Gretna, Louisiana

Mel Ott's father and two of his uncles played semi-pro baseball and they taught him to play the game at a young age. He started as a catcher while a youth. He played on his high school team and on a semi-pro team at the age of fourteen.

New York Giants

Ott started his professional baseball career and major league career in 1926, when he signed with the New York Giants. Unlike most other players, Ott never played in the minor leagues but he was just a part-time player for the Giants in his first two seasons, playing in only 35 games in 1926 and in 82 games in 1927. He batted .383 in 1926 and .282 in 1927.

In 1928, his first full season in the major leagues, Ott batted .322 with 140 hits, 26 doubles, 18 home runs, and 77 RBIs in 124 games. The next season, he led the NL in walks with 113 walks to 38 strikeouts. He had career highs in doubles (37), home runs (42), and RBIs (151) in 1929. He had 179 hits and batted .328.

Ott had a career high batting average of .349 in 1930. He led the NL in on-base percentage with a career high .458. He finished the season with 182 hits, 34 doubles, 25 home runs, 119 RBIs, and 35 strikeouts to 103 walks in 148 games.

Ott again led the NL in walks in 1931, with 80 walks to 44 strikeouts. He finished the season with 145 hits, 23 doubles, 29 home runs, 115 RBIs, and a .292 batting average in 138 games.

In 1932, Ott led the NL in games played, home runs, walks, and on-base percentage. He had 180 hits, 30 doubles, 38 home runs, 123 RBIs, 39 strikeouts to 100 walks, a .318 batting average, and an on-base percentage of .424 in a career high 154 games. The following year, he led the NL in walks with 75 to 48 strikeouts. He had a .283 batting average with 164 hits, 36 doubles, 23 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 152 games.

Ott led the NL in home runs and RBIs in 1934. That season he batted .326 with 190 hits, 29 doubles, 10 triples, 35 home runs, and 135 RBIs in 153 games. The next year Ott had a career high 191 hits. He finished the 1935 season with 33 doubles, 31 home runs, 114 RBIs, and a .322 batting average in 152 games.

Ott led the NL in home runs again in 1936 with 33. He also led the league in OPS with 1.036. That season, he had 175 hits, 28 doubles, 135 RBIs, 41 strikeouts to 111 walks, and a .328 batting average in 150 games. The next year, he led the league in home runs again and in walks. He finished the 1937 season with 160 hits, 28 doubles, 31 home runs, 94 RBIs, 69 strikeouts to 102 walks, and a .294 batting average in 151 games.

In 1938, Ott led the NL in home runs with 36 and in on-base percentage with .442. He batted .311 with 164 hits, 23 doubles, 116 RBIs, and 47 strikeouts to 118 walks in 150 games. He once more led the league in on-base percentage in 1939 with .449. He finished that season with 122 hits, 23 doubles, 27 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a .308 batting average in 125 games.

Ott's batting average dropped to .289 in 1940. He had 155 hits, 27 doubles, 19 home runs, and 79 RBIs in 151 games. The next year, his batting average was .286 in 148 games.

Ott had another good season in 1942, leading the NL again in home runs, walks, and OPS. He finished the season with 162 hits, 21 doubles, 30 home runs, 93 RBIs, a .295 batting average, and an OPS of .912.

In 1942, Ott was made player-manager of the Giants. He remained in that position through 1947. After his playing career ended, he continued to manage the team in 1948. As a manager, he led the Giants to 464 wins and 530 losses.

Ott's last full season as a player was in 1945 and he had a strong season, ending with a .308 batting average. He played in 31 games in 1946 and in just four games in 1947, his last season as a major league player.

Ott was the first NL player to hit over 500 home runs. He held the title of NL home run leader from 1937 until 1966, when the record was broken by Willie Mays. Ott was also the first NL player to have eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons. Since then, only Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols have achieved that record.

MLB Records

  • Led the NL in home runs (6 times)
  • Led the NL in walks (6 times)
  • Led the NL in on-base percentage (4 times)
  • Led the NL in OPS (2 times)

Career Statistics

Ott played in over 100 games in each of 18 seasons (1928-1945). His batting statistics during those 18 seasons include:

  • 12 seasons with over 150 hits, with highs of 190 in 1934 and 191 in 1935
  • 5 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 1929
  • 15 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 42 in 1929
  • 9 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 151 in 1929
  • 10 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .349 in 1930

Career batting statistics for Ott include:

  • 2,730 games played
  • 2,876 hits
  • 488 doubles
  • 511 home runs
  • 1,860 RBIs
  • .304 batting average
  • .414 on-base percentage
  • .947 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Ott as a right fielder include:

  • 2,161 games played
  • 88 errors
  • 238 assists
  • 4,153 putouts
  • .980 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Ott include:

  • 3 postseasons
  • 16 games played
  • 61 at-bats
  • 18 hits
  • 2 doubles
  • 4 home runs
  • 10 RBIs
  • 9 strikeouts to 8 walks
  • .295 batting average

Post Playing Career

From 1955 through 1958, Ott was a radio and TV broadcaster for major league baseball. He died in 1958 at the age of just 49 in an auto accident.

Ott was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1951 on the third ballot with 87.2% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Mel Ott
ESPN - Mel Ott
Baseball Reference - Mel Ott
SABR - Mel Ott

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