Ed Ott Was An Integral Part Of The "We Are Family" 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Former big league catcher Ed Ott, who spent all but one of his eight seasons in the show with the Pittsburgh Pirates, passed away yesterday at the age of 72. No cause of death has been released. 

A native of Muncy, Pennsylvania, Ott was drafted by the Bucs out of high school in the 23rd round of the 1970 MLB draft as a third baseman. Ott would move from third base to the outfield and eventually behind the plate. The latter move accelerated his progression towards the big leagues. Ott would enjoy cups of coffee with the Bucs in 1974, 1975 and 1976 before establishing himself as a platoon player with Duffy Dyer during the 1977 and 1978 seasons and with Steve Nicosia during the 1979 season.

As with virtually everyone who wore a Pirates uniform in 1979, Ott reached the pinnacle of his career that season hitting a career best .273 and career best 51 RBIs in 117 games played. During the 1979 World Series, Ott hit .333 (4 for 12) and drove in 3 runs. 

Although Ott put in another solid effort during the 1980 season, the Pirates were eager to bring Tony Pena to the major leagues. Following that season, Ott and pitcher Mickey Mahler were traded to the California Angels for slugger Jason Thompson. 

Ott would struggle with the Angels and would sustain a torn rotator cuff missing all of the 1982 season. Despite trying to reinvent himself as a first baseman in the Angels' minor league system in 1983 and 1984, Ott would never play again in the major leagues. In 567 career games, Ott collected 465 hits for a lifetime batting average of .259 with 33 HR and 195 RBIs. 

In 1985, Ott would return to the Pirates organization as a minor league manager where he raised eyebrows removing a young Barry Bonds from a game for not hustling. Ott was a coach at the big league level with the Houston Astros under former Pirates teammate Art Howe from 1989 to 1993 and with the Detroit Tigers in 2001 and 2002 with Phil Garner, another former Bucs teammate. 

But Ed Ott was always be remembered for his contributions to the 1979 World Series champion "We Are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates. R.I.P.