Amos Otis

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Amos Otis (1970s)

Amos Joseph Otis (born April 26, 1947 in Mobile, Alabama) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets (1967, 1969), Kansas City Royals (1970-1983) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1984). He batted and threw right handed. Otis was both reviled and loved during his playing career for his extremely smooth playing style. He regularly made the difficult play seem easy, but when he failed to make a play he often appeared to be "loafing". Still, Otis was an incredibly consistent player, a building block of the great Kansas City Royals teams of the 1970s. He was involved in one of the most beneficial trades in Royals history, when Royals GM Cedric Tallis sent seemingly hot prospect Joe Foy to the New York Mets in exchange for the young Otis. Foy soon fizzled out while Otis continued to contribute for the next decade. His good speed worked well with the Royal team philosophy of speed and defense. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, his skills had declined and he lost his center field job to Willie Wilson. He was still an important contributor, though, having an excellent 1980 World Series. He spent a short time back in the National League with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of his career.