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Amos Otis
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 219 of 1252 players
Amos Joseph Otis
Born: April 26, 1947 at Mobile, Ala.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 5.11 Weight: 170

Amos Otis was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on April 26, 2008, March 15, 2011, May 18, 2020, April 26, 2021, April 26, 2022, and April 26, 2023.

First Mets game: September 6, 1967
Last Mets game: September 27, 1969

Share your memories of Amos Otis HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY: RheingoldFan March 16, 2001 Who needs him? Here's a guy that admitted to corking his bat for the vast majority of his career. He cheated, flat out, and that's a fact. Sure his numbers were good, but how great would he have been if he was playing on an even keel with everyone else. Now I know that other men have cheated...we have scuffed balls, steroid abuse, etc...but the audacity with which he later flaunted it is disgusting. Before it was outlawed, the spitball was a legal pitch, but nowhere in the annals of baseball history have I found any acceptance of doctoring the bat. And that is why Otis will never be in the HOF, pure and simple. Logan Swanson April 14, 2001 Rarely can you say one player might have made the difference between championships and frustrating also- ran status in a franchise's performance over a long period. But a perusal of Amos Otis's stats strongly indicate that had he stayed in New York and produced similar numbers, Met's history would have been dramatically altered. Check out Otis's Royal campaigns in 1971, '73, an '76. In 1971, the Mets were in third place, and one wonders what Otis's RBI's and stolen bases would have added to the Met's dynamic. In 1973, the Mets might have taken the A's instead of the reverse. And in 1976, you might have seen a subway series. At the very least, the Mets would have finished higher than the teams featuring third basemens Joy Foy saddled with personal problems, a fat Jim Fregosi, a mediocre Wayne Garret, slow footed Joe Torre, or "top prospect" Roy Staiger. In the early and mid sixties, the Mets showed admirable patience with Ed Kranepool, Ron Swaboda, Tug McGraw, and others. From 1969 until the mid 70's, the Mets boasted a premature win now attitude, when they should have look for offense in their fertile farm system, a decision which cost them budding stars. VIBaseball June 22, 2001 The Mets felt they were dealing from strength because they had Agee (they even played Otis out of position at 3B instead of CF), but Tommie sure went over the hill physically in a hurry. Goose August 13, 2001 When I think Amos Otis, sweet music fills my ears. Hard Work. Determination. Integrity. Perfection. A rock group from CT was even names after Mr. Otis, due to his hunger to be the best. A to the O. Simply, the best there was, best there is, and best there ever will be. MattyO August 13, 2001 Even though I was only six years old when Amos Otis played on a major league ball field for the last time, I have vivid memories of this great ball player. His hustle, determination and afro still linger in the minds of baseball fans all over this fine country. Mr. Otis hit 3 HRs and batter .478 in the 1980 World Series, come on. Those are Hall of Fame numbers. I never had the pleasure to witness him in person, but from what I have seen on Classic Sports, he is A Number 1 in my book. david gloor December 12, 2001 I had the pleasure of watching his incredible ability and flair in KC when the Royals were Mets, err I mean doormats. You could not get near Amos on autograph days as the lines were huge. I moved to Seattle the expansion year of the Mariners and attendance in Seattle was lousy. We used to wait behind the clubhouse and get to meet the players very easily. Well I finally got a chance to meet my hero Amos after a game and out he comes in a tan leather jacket, no shirt, a cigarette hanging from his lips and a can of Olympia beer in his hand. What a laugh I had as my bubble of the gazelle athlete I thought he was immediately was altered. Gary from Chesapeake April 20, 2002 Say what you will about the dumb Met trades over the years, like Tom Seaver for an assortment off the Reds' bench and Rusty Staub for Mickey Lolich, I think trading Amos Otis was their all-time bone-headed transaction. But it sure gave the KC Royals some credibility early in their history. Bobster1985 May 21, 2003 Gary, I agree with you totally. With all the lousy Mets trades down the years, this one stands out. Consider: Amos Otis went on to play 14 years with the Royals, giving them a solid center fielder at a time when the Mets usually lacked one. He helped get the Royals into the playoffs in four different seasons and to the World Series once. His career average was .271, with two .300 seasons and over 2,000 lifetime hits. He led the American league in doubles twice and in stolen bases once. Meanwhile, Joe Foy played just one season with the Mets, batting .236 before being sent to the Washington Senators, where he left baseball forever after just 41 games there. Was there ever a more lopsided trade in Mets history? I don't think so. Mark January 13, 2004 Wish they never traded this guy. Has anyone other than me ever thought about an "All Mets Traded Outfield" circa 1977-78 of Singleton in Left, Otis in Center, and Staub in Right? One RH (Otis) one LH (Staub) and one switch-hitter (Singleton). All three had 20-25 HR power, all three could drive in 80-100 runs, Singleton and Otis hit for average, Otis could steal some bases and Otis was a gold glove caliber fielder. Come to think of it Lee Mazzilli could have made a pretty good fourth outfielder with this group. Oh well, it never happened. Phil Thiegou June 9, 2004 The biggest childhood memory I've had of Amos Otis was that I always got his card in boxes of cereal in the 70's when you got a free baseball card in Kellogg's cereal. No, Tom Seaver, no Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson, Johnny Bench, or even a Graig Nettles for that matter. It's hard to play a fantasy baseball game when you have 9 Amos Otises playing on your team. All that Raisin Bran, all those Apple Jacks, all those Corn Flakes and for what? Amos Otis. The Mets had no problem getting rid of him. I however couldn't. DT October 4, 2004 1969, Sacred Heart Baseball, every participant got a 1969 Major League Book. In it they gave a break down of each team, and a up an coming stars section. Amos Otis was under the Mets. He became ny favorite player there and then. Followed him thru Royals career and became a big KC fan in addition to Mets. Would have loved to see AO play for Mets. He was great fielder, good hitter, great speed. He is still AO-K with me. Thanks for the memories Amos, best of luck. Jonathan Stern March 21, 2005 In light of the steroids madness going on right now, I personally don't have a problem with players "cheating" if: A.) It does not involve something harmful health-wise. B.) It does not involve something illegal under US law. C.) If it is done in order to help the team win rather than to simply inflate one's stats for personal goals and big money. D.) If the player is good and fundamentally sound at most other aspects of the game, not a one-dimensional type whose one dimension is enhanced by his cheating to the neglect of virtually everything else. And, E.) If the player eventually admits his cheating. In amazingly direct contrast to Mark McGuire, Amos Otis falls under all of the above. Corked bat and all, he played when contracts were not what they are today and he injected the Royals with so much fun, enthusiasm and leadership, remaining to this day one of their most popular players ever. While he was there, they won everything except the ultimate prize, which they finally bagged a year after Otis's retirement with a number of his former teammates still on board. Otis was not a HOFer, but I'd sooner enshrine him in Cooperstown than McGuire. On the same day he was elected to the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, Otis was also elected to Nash and Zullo's Baseball Hall of Shame for his cheating. He was cheerful enough to acknowledge both "Halls" in his speech to his loyal KC fans. We gave up this guy for Joe Foy? Michael March 28, 2005 I think that this trade, not Ryan-Fregosi, was the worst trade in Mets history. Bob R April 10, 2005 I totally agree, Michael. When they traded him, Agee had only a couple years left in him, and then there was a big hole in the outfield. Having a star like Otis in center field all those years would have made a big difference. Nolan Ryan just didn't like playing in New York, and trading him was inevitable - although they certainly could have done better than over-the-hill Jim Fregosi. But throwing away Amos Otis was just a crime. Jamey Bumbalo November 5, 2006 Along with Bobby Pfiel and Jack DiLauro, Amos Otis is a forgotten Met of 1969 (he played in 58 games, although he hit only .151). He didn't contribute much, but he was there for a large portion of the season. The Ghost of Bad Met Trades Past December 6, 2006 This one was probably the worst of all. Imagine Otis in CF through the 70's putting up the numbers he did with KC. May have made a difference in 70,71,72 and set quite a different tone for the franchise... jim tagariello September 1, 2007 Having Amos Otis in center field instead of Don Hahn, and the Mets Beat the A's in the 1973 Series. This has to rate as one of their worst trades just from the long term effect. Did they really need Joe Foy that bad? They did no background check on him. The 1967 American League champion Red Sox let him go in the expansion draft to the Royals, what does that tell you? Mets fan in Maine September 3, 2007 For all you people who post about what might have been, let's remember that in 152 career at-bats for the Mets, Otis hit .178. Witz October 6, 2008 Anyone have a copy of the '69 yearbook handy? Doesn't it comment about how "productive" Otis was off the field--referring to his many children (5 maybe?) Talk about a left handed compliment, five kids by the age of 22! Steve T. October 17, 2008 Let's not forget, Amos Otis being selfish is the reason why he got traded. Poor baby didn't want to play third base. "WAH" Don't make Joe Foy the scapegoat. And who wanted him anyway? Does anyone remember Tommie Agee? To me, Amos "corked bat" Otis is an insignificant part of Mets history. Witz October 23, 2008 I dug out my old yearbook and feel the need to amend my last posting. His entry reads simply: "Despite his age (21), he has three children." Still, I find it an odd thing to "highlight" in his yearbook!!! crackers from waxhaw June 12, 2009 I was a major big time Otis fan. The way Joe Foy went bust in 1970 sparked my interest in the man the Mets traded for him, and I began following his career and by the early 70's became a full fledged Royals fan. His ankle injury is what gave the Yankees the AL title in 1976. But for that, the Royal's might have been the late 70's dynasty. The cork thing don't bother me. Many other players with similar numbers probably did the same thing, or he wouldn't have been so cavalier about admitting to it. What an outfield the Mets could have had in those years with him and Singleton together. The Mets had a big problem motivating and keeping good black players. A truly good organization would have done a better job preserving Agee's knees and keeping Cleon Jones focused. The Mets management was exceedingly lazy and lackadaisical. White players who had great promise failed with them too, like Kranepool, Swoboda, Kingman, Garrett. Intense players who expected better, like Richie Hebner, never lasted long either. Even if Otis never gave them more than 15 homers, 70 ribbies, 270ish average and 20-30 steals a year, he would have helped them greatly in thne 70's. So many wasted seasons, until the 1984 resurgence. It didn't have to be that way. Gets by Buckner September 9, 2011 Has to be on the top ten of bad Mets trades. While Amos Otis was playing against the Yankess in the ALCS in the 70's, who knows what Joe Foy was doing. Imagine an outfield in the late 70's of Mazzilli, Otis and Cleon Jones? TouShea July 17, 2020 Amos admitted that he corked his bat during his career with the Royals, but his cheating ways didn't stop there. Each time he came to the plate, he always managed to sneak his right foot behind the back line of the batter's box. A hitter is supposed to have both feet within the box's lines, but Otis tried to stand as far back as he could get away with. He'd also gingerly wipe out the white chalk that marked the official box boundary in order to be able to do this. I don't know if that little act helped to inflate his batting statistics, but it is something he tried to do continuously. It seemed that Amos was always looking to gain an unfair advantage for himself. Richard Weinberg February 23, 2023 Member of the 1969 Champs, but his tenure with the Mets was mismanaged. Gil Hodges wanted him to play third base, and this did not work out. Otis was a great outfielder, and should have been the natural successor to Tommie Agee. Otis's displeasure at being moved to the infield frustrated the Mets front office, and he was included, along with a useful pitcher named Bob Johnson, in the horrible 1970 trade to Kansas City for third basemen Joe Foy. We all know how well that trade worked out. Otis played center field for KC into the 1980's, and Joe Foy was out of baseball by 1971.

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