Mel Ott
When Mel Ott arrived in New York as a 17-year old, 160-pound outfielder in 1926, few could have realized that he would become the first National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs. "Master Melvin" played 22 seasons with the Giants, also managing them for six years. When he retired early in the 1947 season, he held National League marks for career home runs, runs scored, RBI, and walks. |
Full bio ⇓
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 2730 |
9456 |
2876 |
1859 |
511 |
1860 |
89 |
.304 |
.533 |
.414 |
.947 |
132.4 |
|
Teams Mel Ott Managed
New York Giants (1942-1948)
Where does Mel Ott rank among baseball greats?
Mel Ott ranks #4 among the Top 50 all-time at RF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1936
Ott was the heart of the team, practically carrying New York into the post-season. He batted .328 with a league-leading 33 homers. He drove in 135 runs (18% of the Giants total runs) and scored 120. He walked 111 times while fanning only 41. His .588 slugging average and 1.036 OPS topped the NL. His team hit just 97 homers, with Ott supplying a third of them. In the Series loss to the Yankees he hit .304 with a homer.
Factoids
Mel Ott's 323 home runs hit in the Polo Grounds are the most ever hit by one player in a single ballpark.
Full Bio
Ott is the only man to ever lead his league in home runs while also serving as manager, which he did in 1942. He paced the National League in homers six times, but his career high of 42 in 1929 failed to lead the league. On the final day of that season, Philadelphia pitchers walked him intentionally five times to prevent him from tying their teammate Chuck Klein for the home run title.
On six occasions Ott led the league in walks, a record for the senior circuit. His career walk total was the highest in the NL until broken by Joe Morgan. Twelve times he walked at least 90 times in a season, showing his patience at an early age – walking 113 times at the age of twenty.
Ott was a teenager when he became a regular for the Giants and John McGraw in 1928, hitting 18 home runs. Before he was thirty years old he had 1,939 hits, 342 home runs, 1,306 RBI, 1,035 walks, a .315 average, and a .557 slugging percentage. In his thirties his average tapered to .289 with a .489 slugging mark.
Ott was a solid right fielder who moved to third base in 1937-1938 to help the team. The Giants won three pennants with Ott in the lineup, and garnered a World Series title in 1933. In that Series, Ott homered in the first inning of Game One and in the final (10th) inning of Game Five – giving the Giants the victory. He led all regulars with a .389 average, seven hits, and four RBI. In his three World Series, Ott hit four home runs and batted .295.
Ott was known for his odd batting style, which included a leg kick. He took great advantage of his home ballpark, slugging nearly two-thirds of his longballs in the Polo Grounds. Manager John McGraw refused to allow his coaches or any minor league manager (including Casey Stengel) to change Ott’s batting style.
As a player/manager and manager, Ott posted a .467 percentage in six seasons. His easy-going style prompted Dodger manager Leo Durocher to comment, “Nice guys finish last.” Ironically, it was Durocher who replaced Ott as Giants' manager in 1948.
Tragically, on November 14, 1958, Ott and his wife were seriously injured in a head-on automobile collision. During life-saving surgery, Ott died at the age of 49.
Where He Played
Ott was a right fielder, playing 2,313 game sin the outfield. He also played six games at second base and notched 256 games at third. In 1937-1938, he was tried at third base to fill a big Giants hole, but by 1939 he was back in right field.
As a Manager
Ott managed 1,004 games - winning 464 - for a .467 percentage. His best team was his first - in 1942 the New York Giants finished third with 85 victories. He replaced Bill Terry as manager and was replaced by Leo Durocher half-way through the '48 campaign.
Born
Melvin Thomas Ott was born on March 2, 1909, in Gretna, LA.
Died
November 21, 1958, New Orleans, LA
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 27,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1926
Mel Ott
Paul Waner
Joe Cronin
Tony Lazzeri
General Crwoder
Babe Herman
Ethan Allen
Bump Hadley
Ski Melillo
Nicknames
Master Melvin
Uniform Numbers
#5 (1932), #4 (1933-1947)
Similar Players
Sadaharu Oh
Related Players
Bill Terry, Leo Durocher, Willie McCovey
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1949 |
BBWAA |
94 |
61.4% |
1949 |
Run Off |
128 |
68.4% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
115 |
68.5% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
197 |
87.2% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1933 World Series
1936 World Series
1937 World Series
Milestones
- July 12, 1931: 100th HR...
- July 24, 1934: 200th HR...
- August 20, 1937: 300th HR...
- June 1, 1941: 400th HR... The home run also gave Ott exactly 1,500 career RBI.
- August 1, 1945: 500th HR... Came against Johnny Hutchings.
Batting Feats
- May 16, 1929: Cycle...
- August 4, 1934: 6 Runs...
- April 30, 1944: 6 Runs...
Notes
Ott never won an MVP Award, though he ranked in the top ten in votes six times. His best showing was in 1942 when he finished third to St. Louis Cardinals teammates Mort Cooper and Enos Slaughter.
Hitting Streaks
21 games (1937)
All-Star Selections
1934 NL
1935 NL
1936 NL
1937 NL
1938 NL
1939 NL
1940 NL
1941 NL
1942 NL
1943 NL
1944 NL
1945 NL
Replaced
Journeyman George Harper, who hit .331 in 1927 as John mcGraw's right fielder.
Replaced By
Ott, who was player/manager when he stopped being a full-timer, put Willard Marshall in right field in 1946, after Marshall had returned from the war.
Best Strength as a Player
Patience at the plate.
Largest Weakness as a Player
None
Learn More about Mel Ott
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