John Otten

John G. Otten
previously known as Joe Otten

• Bats Unknown, Throws Right
• Weight 175 lb.

• Debut July 5, 1895
• Final Game September 28, 1895
• Born August 21, 1870 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died October 17, 1905 in Chicago, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

John Otten played 24 games for the St. Louis Browns in 1895, mostly at catcher. It was long thought that he was the third major leaguer from the Netherlands to make his major league debut, and the last one until Bert Blyleven 75 years later, but he had in fact been born in Chicago, IL, where his family had been living for many years before his birth. The mistake had come from an error in the 1880 Census.

Related Sites

• John Otten at the SABR Bio Project