San Francisco Giants: 10 best catchers in franchise history

2. Roger Bresnahan (1902-1908)

Stats: 140 OPS+, .293/.403/.393, 731 H, 15 HR, 291 RBI, 438 R
WAR: 27.1 rWAR/27.6 fWAR
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1945)
WS Titles: 1

A quick glance at the numbers and you might question by Bresnahan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

However, he was a true innovator at the catcher position.

Joan M. Thomas of SABR.org wrote: “Roger Bresnahan is generally regarded today as the Deadball Era’s most famous catcher, as well-known for his innovations in protective equipment as for his unusual skill package that made him one of the first catchers ever used continuously at the top of the batting order.”

He is credited with making the shin guard standard equipment for catchers, and he also pioneered the addition of padding to catcher’s masks to absorb shock.

Aside from those contributions to the game, he was also an excellent player, who got on base at a .403 clip during his seven seasons with the Giants.

He was essentially an extension of legendary manager John McGraw on the field, and he played a key part in the team’s 1905 World Series title, posting 4.5 WAR during the regular season before going 5-for-16 with two doubles in the Fall Classic.

He was selected to the Hall of Fame by what was then known as the Old Timers Committee in 1945.