Mel Ott

Mel Ott was a professional baseball player who played 22 seasons with the New York Giants, serving as player-manager for seven of those seasons.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: March 2, 1909
2. Birthplace: Gretna, Louisiana
3. Died: November 21, 1958
4. Position: Outfielder
5. Bats/Throws: Left/Right
6. Uniform #4 retired by the Giants
7. Inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951

Career

At only 5'9" and 170 lbs., Mel Ott was an unlikely baseball player to be the first National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs. But Ott was a consummate run producer who in addition to leading the National League in home runs six times, led the League in walks six times. He saw limited playing time in his first three seasons as a Giant, when he was the youngest player in the League all three years, but in 1929 he established himself as a baseball great when he slugged 42 home runs and 151 RBIs, finishing second in the league in both categories. He made the All-Star team every season from 1934 to 1945, and led his team in home runs a record-setting eighteen consecutive seasons. Ott finished with a lifetime .306 batting average, and his 511 career home runs would be a National League record until broken by Willie Mays in 1966. Ott was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951; he died in a car accident in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1958.

Categories