Amos Otis

Position: Centerfielder
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
5-11, 165lb (180cm, 74kg)
Born: April 26, 1947  in Mobile, AL us
Draft: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 5th round of the 1965 MLB June Amateur Draft from Williamson HS (Mobile, AL).
High School: Williamson HS (Mobile, AL)
Debut: September 6, 1967 (12,634th in major league history)
vs. STL 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: August 5, 1984
vs. NYM 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Amos Joseph Otis
Nicknames: A.O.
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

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Nine Players Who Debuted in 1967

Reggie Jackson
Graig Nettles
Rod Carew
Johnny Bench
Tom Seaver
Jerry Koosman
Amos Otis
Sparky Lyle
Aurelio Rodriguez

Notable Events and Chronology for Amos Otis Career

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

September 15, 1969

Steve Carlton Sets strikeout record at 19 in loss to Mets

December 3, 1969

Outfielder Amos Otis is traded to the Royals for third baseman Joe Foy in one of the worst trades in Mets History

September 7, 1971

Kansas City’s Amos Otis collects four hits and five stolen bases in a 4 – 3 win over Milwaukee. Darrell Porter’s wild throw on a steal allows Otis to score the winning run.

November 20, 1971

1971 – The Sporting News announces Gold Glove Award winners. Among newcomers are outfielders Amos Otis in the American League and Bobby Bonds in the National League.

July 31, 1972

Royals OF Amos Otis scores the game’s only run, swiping home in the 4th inning with a surprised John Mayberry at bat. Otis reached 3B when Angels pitcher Nolan Ryan makes two of his three errors trying to pick his former teammate off base. This is only the second time in the post-war years that a steal of home accounts for a game’s only run.

August 26, 1973

1973 – In a 10 – 1 win over the Royals, Oriole Paul Blair hits an inside-the-park grand slam off Paul Splittorff. Amos Otis and Steve Hovley collide in midair while chasing Blair’s ball to help the O’s win their 13th straight.

November 14, 1973

Oakland Athletics outfielder Reggie Jackson wins the American League MVP Award in unanimous fashion

June 18, 1974

6/18/1974: Game 2 was rained out after KC’s Amos Otis homered in Milwaukee off Bill Travers. The hit came in the top of the first with two out and no one on.

May 16, 1975

5/16/1975 – Royals manager Jack McKeon made out several lineup cards before the game. The official one he gave to the home plate umpire had George Brett hitting second and Amos Otis batting third. The one shown on the scoreboard and the one the Royals followed had Otis second, Hal McRae third, and Brett down in the sixth spot. The Royals followed that order the entire game because the Red Sox never checked the one they had been given when the lineup cards were exchanged. In the top of the third, they could have had at least two runs erased had they been paying attention. With runners on first and third and one out, Otis came up in the number two spot and hit a single to left that resulted in two runs after an error. At that point, the Red Sox could have protested and Brett would have been called out with Otis batting again, this time with two outs. The Royals scored three in the inning and won the game 5-2.

May 12, 1978

At Royals Stadium, a potential game-ending routine fly ball becomes an Amos Otis walk-off inside-the-park home run as Reggie Jackson and Mickey Rivers collide in the outfield. The misplay turns a sure Goose Gossage save into a sour loss for the current World Champion New York Yankees.

August 29, 1979

Kansas City blasts Milwaukee pitching for an 18 – 8 victory. George Brett and Amos Otis hit back-to-back home runs in the 8-run 4th, after Pete LaCock hits a 3-run home run in the 5-run 3rd. Milwaukee finally uses 3B Sal Bando for three innings on the mound (2 runs), 2B Jim Gantner for an inning (no runs), and C Buck Martinez (1 run) in relief.

August 17, 1980

George Brett extend his hitting streak to 29 games

October 17, 1980

Willie Aikens drives in the winning run in the 10th in game 2 1980 World Series

May 27, 1981

Lenny Randle Blows a ball foul

August 23, 1983

Kansas City’s Amos Otis notches his 2,000th career hit, a single in a 10 – 2 win over the White Sox.

December 19, 1983

Pittsburgh Pirates sign outfielder Amos Otis as a free agent

June 7, 1986

Amos Otis, who played for 14 seasons with Kansas City, being named the team’s Player of the Year three times, and Steve Busby, who averaged more than 18 wins a season before his career is shortened by a rotator cuff injury, are honored at Kauffman Stadium. During the pregame ceremony, the pair is inducted into the newly created Royals Hall of Fame, becoming the first players to be so honored by the team.

December 26, 1990

The Senior Professional Baseball Association folds in the middle of its second season when the Fort Myers Sun Sox franchise collapses due to a financial dispute among club owners

Biography

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His manager, Jack McKeon once said of Amos Otis: “He’s the best center fielder in baseball. No question about it. Amos is the most complete player in the majors…” Otis combined speed and power in a career spent mostly with the Kansas City Royals, earning three Gold Gloves and five All-Star selections. In 1978 he was a 20-20 (homers and steals) man for the Royals, and he swiped as many as 52 bases in a season. In Kansas City’s first World Series, in 1980, the right-handed hitter slugged three homers and drove in seven runs. He ranks near the top in almost every offensive category in Royals franchise history.

Professional baseball career

Otis was initially drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1965 as a shortstop. However, he put in some time in the outfield, third base, and first base while playing in the minors. In November 1966, the Mets drafted him and jumped him all the way to Class AAA for 1967. He saw some time with the Mets late in the 1967 season, but spent 1968 in AAA again before making the major league roster for 1969. The Mets recognized his potential, so much so that when the Braves asked for Otis when trying to trade Joe Torre, the Mets refused and Torre wound up going to the St. Louis Cardinals instead.

However, Otis immediately clashed with Mets manager Gil Hodges, who tried to make him a third baseman. After only four games, Otis was sent back to the minors for a month. At the end of the season, Royals general manager Cedric Tallis sent seemingly hot third base prospect Joe Foy to the Mets, in exchange for the young Otis.

The deal turned out to be an epoch-making deal for the Royals, as well as one of the worst trades in Mets history. Foy was bogged by drug problems and was out of baseball by 1971. Meanwhile, the Royals immediately moved Otis to center field, and he became the club rock at that position for most of the 1970s. He made the American League all-star team each of his first four years with the team and won three Gold Gloves. His good speed worked well with the Royals’ team philosophy of speed and defense. On September 7, 1971, he became the first player since 1927 to steal five bases in one game. He led the American League with 52 stolen bases that year.

On September 18, 1977, Otis helped out 8 youths who were stranded after a Royals game had been rained out when flooding had prevented the boys’ parents picking them up. “If it was my kids,” Otis said, “I would have wanted someone to do something for them, too.”

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, his fielding skills had declined somewhat, and he lost his center field job to Willie Wilson. He was still an important contributor, though, hitting .478 with 3 home runs and 7 runs batted in the 1980 World Series. He spent a short time back in the National League with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of his career.

In a 17-season career, Otis posted a .277 batting average, with 193 home runs and 1,007 RBI in 1,998 games while stealing 341 bases.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

Played For
New York Mets (1967-1969)
Kansas City Royals (1970-1983)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1984)

Similar: Cesar Cedeno, Andy Van Slyke

Linked: Joe Foy

Best Season, 1978
The 31-year old batted batted .298 with a .525 slugging percentage, and a .380 on-base percentage. He stoled 32 bases in 40 attempts, slugged 22 homers and drove in 96 runs. He finished fourth in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Awards and Honors
1971 AL Gold Glove
1973 AL Gold Glove
1974 AL Gold Glove

Post-Season Appearances
1976 American League Championship Series
1977 American League Championship Series
1978 American League Championship Series
1980 American League Championship Series
1980 World Series
1981 American League Division Playoffs

Where He Played: Center field, except for a very small handful of games in left and right.

Feats: On April 30-May 1, Otis swiped seven bases in two games, tying an American League record… On September 7, 1971, Otis stoled five bases…

Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Missed three weeks in 1975 with tonsilitis… Injured his ankle in the first inning of the first game of the 1976 Playoffs, and did not play the rest of the series.

Hitting Streaks
19 games (1974)
19 games (1974)

Transactions
June 8, 1965: Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 5th round of the 1965 amateur draft.

November 29, 1966: Drafted by the New York Mets from the Boston Red Sox in the 1966 minor league draft.

December 3, 1969: Traded by the New York Mets with Bob Johnson to the Kansas City Royals for Joe Foy.

This trade is without question the best deal in Royals history. Foy was supposed to finally solve the Mets third base problem. He did not. Johnson was a throw-in, but it didn’t matter. Otis starred for 14 seasons in KC.

November 7, 1983: Granted Free Agency.

December 19, 1983: Signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

August 5, 1984: Released by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A-O for A-O?
In the 1975 off-season, the Royals and Pirates agreed on a deal that would have sent Amos Otis and Cookie Rojas to Pittsburgh for Al Oliver. Rojas invoked his 10-5 rights (ten years in majors and last five with same club) and vetoed the trade.

After the Royals won the ’76 division title, Otis quipped, “Cookie gets his Series share and 10% of mine. We were on the verge of winning the championship, and I didn’t want to go with another club. I had been with this club during the building years. You don’t want to be a part of something, then be shipped out before your ship comes in.”

Quotes About Otis
“He’s the best center fielder in baseball. No question about it. Amos is the most complete player in the majors, one of the most complete I’ve ever seen.” — Royals manager Jack McKeon, in 1973

Quotes From Otis
“We don’t have any fights over here, we just fight the baseball. We all get along on this club. We don’t have any fat cats, like some clubs.” — on the Royals clubhouse, 1977

All-Star Selections
1970 AL
1971 AL
1972 AL
1973 AL
1976 AL

Best Strength as a Player
Speed

Largest Weakness as a Player
No glaring weaknesses