The Work of Hitting .170

Catcher Bill Bergen was the worst hitter of all time

Bill Bergen

William Aloysius Bergen (1878-1943), better known as “Bill” Bergen, had an astonishing eleven-season stint in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1901 to 1911, primarily playing for the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers. The paradox of Bergen's oddball career lies in his stark contrast between offense and defense: a player with an unparalleled, abysmal record at the bat, yet with an enduring reputation as one of the greatest defensive catchers of his era.

Sporting an all-time record-low batting average of .170 across 3,028 career at-bats, Bergen's offensive contributions amounted to little more than a rounding error.¹ His career on-base percentage was a dismal .194, making him the only player with at least 500 at-bats to notch an OBP under .200.² Throughout his major league journey, he only managed to hit two home runs, both of which were inside-the-park.³ Indeed, even pitchers, generally considered weak hitters, frequently outperformed Bergen in terms of batting average.

The pinnacle of Bergen's offensive woes came in 1909 when he managed a mere .139 average, setting the record for the lowest average in history for a player qualifying for the batting title. His streak of 45 consecutive at-bats without a hit in 1909 etched his name in the annals of baseball as a paragon of offensive futility, a record that remained untouched for 102 years.⁴

Behind the plate, Bergen's true value emerged. Renowned as a first-rate defensive catcher in an era dominated by pitching, he etched a mark of respect in the otherwise batter-dominated sport. His prowess as a catcher earned him praise from The Sporting News in 1908, calling him one of the best in the game.

Renowned baseball historian Charles Faber, in his book Baseball Ratings, ranked Bergen as the third-best defensive catcher in history. Measured in win shares,⁵ he was the second-best defensive catcher of his time, trailing only Ossee Schreckengost. Bergen's skills also saw him throwing out 47.3% of base-stealers, against a league average of 45%. He led the league in caught steals in 1906 and 1909.

Despite his lackluster batting skills, Bergen's enduring presence on team rosters could be attributed to his superb defensive play, his teams' overall lackluster performance — these were lean years for Cincinnati and Brooklyn — and his sheer tenacity. Most of the teams he played for had woeful win-loss records. But Bergen persisted, extending his professional career into the minor leagues until 1914. His involvement with baseball continued as a coach and manager in minor league baseball until 1920, when he finally hung up his cleats.

Bergen's legacy stands as an intriguing contrast and a testament to baseball's dualistic nature, where futility and durability can coexist in the same veteran player. A tale of two halves, his career epitomizes how grit, perseverance, and solid defensive play can endure in the face of offensive impotence.