Hall of Fame Spotlight: Roger Bresnahan

Roger Bresnahan, a 1945 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, was a catcher and player-manager for 6 different teams from 1897 to 1915. They were the Washington Senators, Chicago Orphans, Baltimore Orioles, New York Giants, St.Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs. He managed the Cardinals while he played there (1909-1912), and the Cubs in 1915. Over the 18 years he played, he had a career .279 batting average, accumulated 1,252 hits, and had 530 RBI. His statistics are mediocre, and sabermetrician Bill James said that Bresnahan's induction was an honor that he did not deserve. One reason Bresnahan may have been elected was because he revolutionized catching, by becoming one of the first to use catching shinguards that resembled wicket keeper's cricket pads. In 1897, he burst onto the scene as a pitcher, and went 4-0 for the Senators, but was released when there was an argument over how much he should be paid. Personally, I feel that because he revolutionized catching, (and is rated #16 for the catching position in Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract), he should be in the hall and belongs there.