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The minor leagues
in baseball were created to provide an opportunity for young talent
to develop before being called up to the majors. But Gretna, Louisiana
native Mel Ott skipped this step.
New York Giants manager John McGraw was so worried that minor league
managers
would tamper
with Ott’s perfect swing that he called the young slugger up
to the majors straight out of high school at the tender age of 16.
For
a few seasons, Ott rode the bench and filled in as needed, but once
he got his shot, he took the league by storm. He played for 22 seasons,
in which he compiled a career batting average of .304, 511 home runs,
and 1,860 RBI. He batted over .300 ten times, played in three World
Series, and was the National League home run leader six times. Following
his playing days, he managed the Giants for seven seasons before
being
elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1951. Mel Ott’s life was tragically
cut short in a car accident on November 21, 1958. He is one of only
eight Giants in history to have had his number (#4) retired.
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