 He was drafted out of Muncy High School by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.Ott began his professional baseball career in 1970 with the Niagara Falls Pirates of the New York-Pennsylvania League where his manager converted him into an outfielder.The next season, he posted a .292 batting average while playing for the Monroe Pirates then hit .304 for the Salem Pirates in 1972.