Posted By:
Al C.risafulliHe's in the Hall of Fame because you can't take a guy out once he's in.
He was inducted in 1945. At that time, he was one of the best catchers to ever play. At the time of his induction, there was only one catcher in the Hall - Buck Ewing. I'd say given the physical abuse a turn of the century catcher had to take, Roger had a pretty strong career.
Cochrane should have gone in before Bresnahan. Bill Dickey, Rick Ferrell and Ernie Lombardi were still playing in 1945, and Gabby Hartnett was not yet eligible. Ray Schalk was arguably even worse than Bresnahan. So for his position, in 1945 Roger Bresnahan was a Hall of Famer.
There are few truly great catchers who have played the game long enough to be in the Hall, I think. Bresnahan belongs among the 16 that are currently enshrined, IMO.
-Al
