Outfielder, Kansas
City Royals
Age: 23 (April 26)
1st season
with Royals
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’11” Weight: 165
Prior to 1970:
A native of
Mobile, Alabama, Otis came out of Williamson High School and was an amateur
draft selection as a shortstop in 1965 by the Boston Red Sox, although he had
played multiple positions in high school. Initially assigned to Harlan of the
Rookie-level Appalachian League where he played third base, the 18-year-old
batted .329 with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 9 home runs, 39 RBIs, 10 stolen bases,
and a .429 on-base percentage with a .520 slugging percentage. He also led the
league’s third basemen in fielding (.910), chances (134), and double plays
(13). Moving on to Oneonta of the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League in 1966,
he hit .270 with 17 doubles, 7 triples, 3 home runs, 46 RBIs, 14 stolen bases,
and a .335 OBP. After the season he was drafted away from the Red Sox by the
New York Mets. Assigned to Jacksonville of the Class AAA International League
in 1967, Otis batted .268 with 11 doubles, 7 triples, 3 home runs, 39 RBIs, 29
stolen bases, and a .327 OBP. Earning a late-season call-up to the Mets, he hit
.220 in 19 games with two doubles and an RBI. Back with Jacksonville in 1968, Otis
was outstanding as he batted .286 with 29 doubles, 15 home runs, 70 RBIs, 21
stolen bases, a .348 OBP, and a .450 slugging percentage. He received league
all-star recognition. Otis started the 1969 season with the Mets as a backup
outfielder and third baseman until being sent down to Tidewater of the
International League where he hit .327 in 71 games with 14 doubles, 10 home
runs, 43 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, a .398 OBP, and a .520 slugging percentage. He
was called back up to the Mets in September, although not in time to qualify
for the postseason roster as the club topped the NL East and made an improbable
run to a World Series title. Having earlier been considered untouchable in
trade talks by the Mets, in the offseason he was dealt to the expansion Royals
along with RHP Bob Johnson for veteran third baseman Joe Foy. Originally
anticipated to be Foy’s replacement at third base, manager Charlie Metro viewed
him as having more potential in center field and that became his position in
Kansas City.
1970 Season Summary
Appeared in 159
games
CF – 159, PH – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 700 [6]
At Bats – 620 [6]
Runs – 91 [13,
tied with Mike Andrews]
Hits – 176 [7,
tied with Reggie Smith]
Doubles – 36 [1,
tied with Tony Oliva & Cesar Tovar]
Triples – 9 [3]
Home Runs – 11
RBI – 58
Bases on Balls
– 68
Int. BB – 3
Strikeouts – 67
Stolen Bases – 33
[5]
Caught Stealing
– 2
Average - .284
[17]
OBP - .353
Slugging Pct. -
.424
Total Bases – 263
[17]
GDP – 8
Hit by Pitches
– 1
Sac Hits – 6
Sac Flies – 5
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 18, 3B – 5, HR - 7, RBI - 33, AVG. - .310, OBP - .372
---
Most hits, game
– 5 (in 5 AB) vs. Cleveland 5/1
Longest hitting
streak – 10 games
HR at home – 6
HR on road – 5
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 5 AB) at Cleveland 7/25
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 3 vs. Oakland 4/7, at Milwaukee 4/16, vs. Washington 6/9
Pinch-hitting – 1 for 1 (1.000)
Fielding
Chances - 407
Put Outs – 388
Assists – 15
Errors – 4
DP – 6
Pct. - .990
Awards & Honors:
All-Star
---
In their second
season, the Royals went 65-97 to finish tied for fourth with the Milwaukee
Brewers in the AL Western Division, 33 games behind the division-winning
Minnesota Twins, while leading the league in triples (41, tied with the Twins
& Yankees), fewest runs scored (611), fewest home runs (97), lowest OBP
(.309, tied with the Angels), lowest slugging percentage (.348), and fewest
total bases (1916). The injury-and-dissension-plagued Royals got off to a slow
start and manager Charlie Metro, unpopular with the players, was replaced by
Bob Lemon in June with a 19-33 record following a 1-8 road trip. The managerial
change didn’t bring immediate improvement although the club performed better in
August and September. Otis was a bright spot for his hitting and outfield play.
In his All-Star appearance he took part in a particularly notorious play in
All-Star Game history when he made the throw from the outfield in what resulted
in Cincinnati’s Pete Rose colliding with Cleveland catcher Ray Fosse to score
the game-winning run for the National League.
Aftermath of 1970:
“A.O.” had
another strong season in 1971 in which he led the AL with 52 stolen bases, five
of them coming in one game against the Brewers. He batted .301 with 26 doubles,
15 home runs, 79 RBIs, a .345 OBP, and a .443 slugging percentage. Defensively
he led all AL outfielders in putouts (404) and double plays (4) and center
fielders in assists (10). In addition to once again being an All-Star, he
placed eighth in league MVP voting. Otis remained a stalwart performer in 1972 who
anchored a good-hitting outfield that also featured Lou Piniella in left and
Richie Scheinblum in right. He contributed by hitting .293 with 28 doubles, 11
home runs, 54 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and a .352 OBP. In 1973, despite being
hindered by a foot injury during the last two weeks of the season, Otis batted
.300 with 21 doubles, 26 home runs, 93 RBIs, a .368 OBP, and a .484
slugging percentage, although his stolen base total dropped to 13 in 22
attempts. He received a Gold Glove for his play in center field and finished
third in league MVP balloting. The Royals had a disappointing season in 1974
and “A.O” saw slippage in his offensive production, hitting .284 with 31
doubles, 9 triples, 12 home runs, 73 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, a .348 OBP, and a
.438 slugging percentage. He failed to be named an All-Star for the first time
since he had arrived in Kansas City, although he still merited a Gold Glove for
his play in center field. 1975 was another difficult season as he dealt with
some injuries and was weakened by a tonsillectomy at midseason. Still, on April
30 and May 1 he tied a league record with seven steals in two consecutive
games. For the year he batted .247 with 26 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs, 46
RBIs, 39 stolen bases, and a .342 OBP (helped by drawing 66 walks). The Royals
won the AL West title in 1976 and Otis was a key contributor as he batted .279
with a league-leading 40 doubles as well as 18 home runs, 86 RBIs, 26 stolen
bases, a .341 OBP, and a .444 slugging percentage. In addition to becoming an
All-Star again, he was seventh in AL MVP voting. A sprained ankle suffered in
the first game of the ALCS against the Yankees sidelined Otis for the remaining
games. Kansas City again topped the AL West in 1977. Otis’ batting production
dropped somewhat to .251 with 20 doubles, 8 triples, 17 home runs, 78 RBIs, 23
stolen bases, a .342 OBP, and a .433 slugging percentage. Again facing the
Yankees in the ALCS, Otis hit .125 and knocked in two runs as the Royals came
up short for the second straight year. Otis was the club’s Player of the Year
in 1978 as he batted .298 with 30 doubles, 7 triples, 22 home runs, 96 RBIs, 32
stolen bases, a .380 OBP, and a .525 slugging percentage. He topped AL outfielders
in fielding percentage (.995) and placed fourth in league MVP balloting. The
Royals again finished atop the AL West and lost to the Yankees in the ALCS,
although this time Otis hit .429. Kansas City came up short in the AL West in
1979 but Otis batted .295 with 28 doubles, 18 home runs, 90 RBIs, 30 stolen
bases, a .369 OBP, and a .444 slugging percentage. He remained a defensive
asset in center field. The Royals regained the AL West crown in 1980 and Otis,
in a lesser offensive season, hit .251 with 10 home runs, 53 RBIs, 16 stolen
bases, and a .316 OBP. The club prevailed over the Yankees in the ALCS and lost
to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, although Otis batted .478
with 3 homers and 7 RBIs in the six games. In the strike-shortened 1981 season,
suspicions that “A.O.” was beginning to fade at age 34 were fed by batting
production of .269 with 22 doubles, 9 home runs, 57 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and
a .321 OBP, although his defense remained sound. Hampered by a variety of
injuries in 1982, Otis batted .286 with 25 doubles, 11 home runs, 88 RBIs, and
a .335 OBP. Struggling with injuries and declining skills in 1983, he appeared
in only 98 games and hit .261 with a .313 OBP. Released by the Royals in the
offseason, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1984 and lasted until August,
when he was let go, thus ending his career. For his major league career, Otis
batted .277 with 2020 hits that included 374 doubles, 66 triples, and 193 home
runs. He scored 1092 runs and compiled 1007 RBIs, 341 stolen bases, a .343 OBP,
and a .425 slugging percentage. With the Royals he batted .280 with 365
doubles, 65 triples, 193 home runs, 1074 runs scored, 992 RBIs, 340 stolen
bases, a .347 OBP, and a .433 slugging percentage. Appearing in 22 postseason
games, he hit .295 with 3 homers and 11 RBIs. A five-time All-Star and
three-time Gold Glove recipient, Otis was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame
in 1986. Having an odd and occasionally difficult personality in addition to
his baseball skills, Otis was known to perform acts of kindness off-the-field
and was popular with Kansas City fans.
---
Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
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