Bill Bergen

Bergen holds the dubious distinction of being baseball's worst hitter: a .170 career average across eleven seasons remains the lowest ever recorded by any player with 3000 plate appearances. Yet he remained a regular starter for the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Robins, a paradox explained by his exceptional defensive work behind the plate. In the dead-ball era, catchers were valued primarily for pitch-framing, game-calling, and throwing out baserunners—offensive contribution barely factored into their worth. Bergen's longevity and consistent employment speak to how thoroughly different baseball's positional calculus was a century ago.