It feels like Mel Ott has been with us since the beginning - but, no, it has only been since 1926. Over those 21 seasons he has given us nothing but pleasure (well, except when playing against him - then, there's usually a fair dose of pain as well...).
I'm always disappointed when a guy ruins his one-club status with a wasteful and usually poor-quality final swansong season, which has happened with Mel at the Reds after 20 years with the Jints. Still, it can't be helped and doesn't lower him in my estimation one bit. He does manage to finish that season with 0.9 WAR to keep his streak alive - 21 seasons played, all with a positive bWAR score.
He'll obviously be a first-ballot HOFer, given those 537 HR (3rd all-time)1812 RBI (3rd) and 3122 hits (6th). His total of 125 bWAR won't hurt either, good for 6th best as well. He won 3 Wagner-Lajoies, 5 Silver Sluggers and 5 Tinker-Jones, and was named to 10 ASGs. In fact, and this is one of the great travesties, the only thing of importance to elude him was a Championship, with two losses in the Fall Classic very early in his career the closest he came.
NB The game once again shows how good it is, with Mel's totals incredibly close to the historical despite so many changed variables.