Ott, Mel

Ott, (Melvin Thomas) Mel

(1909–58) baseball player; born in Gretna, La. With an unusual batting style in which he lifted his front foot as he swung, he hit 511 home runs during his 22-year career as an outfielder for the New York Giants (1926–47). He was one of the few players to go straight to the majors from high school. He was also manager of the Giants from 1942 to 1948. In 1951 he was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame.