Ed Ott
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1981)
Ed Ott was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1981 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the California Angels, a span of 8 seasons. In 567 career games, he hit .259 with 465 hits, 33 home runs, and 195 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 190 lb
- Died
- 3/3/2024 in Danville, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1974-06-10
- Last Game
- 1981-10-02
Full name: Nathan Edward Ott
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 567 | 1,792 | 196 | 465 | 76 | 10 | 33 | 195 | 14 | 138 | 254 | .259 | .311 | .368 | .680 | -1,297 |
Career AVG .259 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .311 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .368 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .680 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | PIT | NL | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | PIT | NL | 27 | 39 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .308 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 104 | 311 | 40 | 82 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 7 | 32 | 41 | .264 | .264 (avg) | .329 (+2%) | .401 (-1%) | .730 (avg) | 20.1 |
| 1978 | PIT | NL | 112 | 379 | 49 | 102 | 18 | 4 | 9 | 38 | 4 | 27 | 56 | .269 | .257 (+4%) | .323 (-3%) | .378 (+8%) | .702 (+3%) | 130.3 |
| 1979 | PIT | NL | 117 | 403 | 49 | 110 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 51 | 0 | 26 | 62 | .273 | .265 (+3%) | .329 (-5%) | .397 (-3%) | .727 (-4%) | -306.9 |
| 1980 | PIT | NL | 120 | 392 | 35 | 102 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 41 | 1 | 33 | 47 | .260 | .264 (-2%) | .326 (-3%) | .387 (-8%) | .714 (-6%) | -308.3 |
| 1981 | CAL | AL | 75 | 258 | 20 | 56 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 2 | 17 | 42 | .217 | .255 (-15%) | .320 (-17%) | .368 (-24%) | .688 (-21%) | -831.7 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 567 | 1,792 | 196 | 465 | 76 | 10 | 33 | 195 | 14 | 138 | 254 | .259 | — | — | — | — | -1,297 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (567 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 270 | 859 | 97 | 233 | 17 | 100 | .271 |
| Away | 297 | 933 | 99 | 232 | 16 | 95 | .249 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-10-02 | LAA | TEX | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-29 | LAA | CHW | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-26 | LAA | TOR | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-25 | LAA | TOR | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981-09-24 | LAA | CHW | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-20 | LAA | TOR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1981-09-19 | LAA | TOR | L | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-18 | LAA | TOR | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-16 | LAA | KCR | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-14 | LAA | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 502 | 451 | 2482 | 259 | 46 | 26 |
| OF | 9 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | PIT | OF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | PIT | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | PIT | C | 8 | 5 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977 | PIT | C | 90 | 78 | 455 | 49 | 9 | 6 |
| 1978 | PIT | C | 97 | 92 | 537 | 42 | 15 | 7 |
| 1978 | PIT | OF | 4 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | PIT | C | 116 | 103 | 612 | 53 | 4 | 6 |
| 1980 | PIT | C | 117 | 105 | 569 | 73 | 11 | 5 |
| 1980 | PIT | OF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | CAL | C | 72 | 68 | 287 | 36 | 7 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 502 |
| Left Field | 7 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Player of the Week | Week of 1978-09-01 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ed Ott (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ed Ott: the record in brief
Ed Ott played a first major league game on June 10, 1974 and a last one on October 2, 1981. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1974 to 1980) and the California Angels (1981). Ott played primarily as a catcher and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Born on July 11, 1951, in Muncy, PA, USA, Ott was listed at 5'10" and 190 pounds. Ott died on March 3, 2024, in Danville, PA, USA. The given name on file is Nathan Edward Ott.
Ott's career batting table shows 567 games, 1,792 at bats and 465 hits, a .259 average, adding 33 homers and 195 RBI. The on-base percentage is .311 and the slugging percentage .368, for an OPS of .680. The .259 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. No season topped the 110 hits of 1979. Ott drove in a season-high 51 runs in 1979. 1979 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .273 against a league .265, a 3% edge. The seasons in which Ott beat the league batting average were 1978 and 1979.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ed Ott
- What years did Ed Ott play?
- Ed Ott played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1981.
- Was Ed Ott a pitcher?
- No. Ed Ott was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ed Ott hit?
- Ed Ott hit 33 career home runs with 465 hits.
- What was Ed Ott's career batting average?
- Ed Ott batted .259 over his career, with 465 hits in 1,792 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ed Ott have?
- Ed Ott drove in 195 runs in his career.
- Is Ed Ott in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ed Ott has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.