About Billy Ott
Lived 1940 – 2015 (aged 74). Billy Ott was an American baseball player.
William Joseph Ott (November 23, 1940 – February 18, 2015) was an American professional baseball player, an outfielder whose six-season (1960–1965) career included stints with the and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, Ott stood tall and weighed in his playing days. He signed with the Cubs after graduating from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx and attending St. John's University.
Ott earned a late-season recall to Chicago after his best minor league campaign, when he hit 23 home runs and compiled 88 runs batted in for the 1962 San Antonio Missions of the Double-A Texas League. He appeared in 12 games and on September 17 he hit his only Major League home run, a solo shot off Ray Washburn of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1964, he was called up from the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees in June and was the immediate successor to Lou Brock as the Cubs' starting right fielder on June 16. Brock had been traded to the Cardinals a day earlier in what would come to be considered as one of the more one-sided transactions in MLB annals. Ott collected one hit, a double, off left-hander Dennis Bennett of the Philadelphia Phillies on the day. and he returned to the minor leagues after his final Cub appearance in mid-July.
All told, Ott played in 32 Major League games and batted 67 times, with 11 hits. Upon leaving baseball, he became a police officer and a professional locksmith in his native New York City.
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Important facts
People in Billy Ott's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Billy Ott's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Billy Ott?
American baseball player (1940-2015)
When was Billy Ott born?
Billy Ott was born on 23 November 1940 in New York City.
When did Billy Ott die?
Billy Ott died on 18 February 2015 in Haverstraw.
What was Billy Ott's occupation?
Billy Ott was a baseball player.
What nationality was Billy Ott?
Billy Ott was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Billy Ott. https://biography.guide/billy-ott/
MLA: "Billy Ott." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/billy-ott/.
Chicago: "Billy Ott." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/billy-ott/.
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