Was Pittsburgh Pirate Ed Ott the best "Home Plate Blocking" catcher of the Late 70's?

Question

Everyone on the 79 World Championship Pirates claimed that it was "Easier to score by running through a Brick Wall than running through Ed Ott"

Ott was a Judo Expert and many said that he "solidified" himself to protect Home Plate from would be opposition attempting to score from 3rd.

Answer 1

I don't know about that but I do know him and Ed Hug share the shortest full name in the history of the game.

Answer 2

Yes, I agree Ott was the best in that era, followed by Munson, and (Jim) Sundberg

Answer 3

That was an era of some tough catchers - Fisk, Munson, Dempsey, Yeager, Boone...but Ed Ott was definitely one of the toughest of the tough. All the bios you ever see of Ed Ott mention "adept at blocking the plate", so it's highly likely he was the best of the lot.

And I'm sure Rob Dibble would agree! Ten years after Ott retired, he just about choked the much larger Dibble to death in a brawl between the Astros and Reds.

Answer 4

In the late 70's the best at blocking the plate were Johnny Bench and Carlton fisk because they could seal the plate and catch the ball without risking their entire body like Ott did.  Plus they were each bigger than Ott so a bigger target and I do not remember many successful collisions of a runner into either Bench or Fisk.

Answer 5

It's very hard to say any catcher of the 1970's was better than Bench at any aspect of catching...hitting, hitting for power, calling a game, throwing runners out, blocking the plate...Bench was the best.

Answer 6

I think that Johnny Bench was probably the best fielding catcher but the only Ott I've ever heard of is Mel.