National League

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

Mordecai Brown

Pitcher
  • Series: Pilgrims
  • City: Chicago
  • Team: Cubs
  • League: National League
  • Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame

Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown (1876-1948) gained the Hall of Fame on the strength of a wicked curve, enhanced by childhood accidents that cost him parts of two fingers on his “twirling” hand. He won 20+ for the Cubs six times from 1904-12 with two world championships.

  • Career record of 239-130 and the 3rd best ERA of all time: 2.06
  • Had legendary duels with Giants’ Christy Mathewson, and went 13-11 against him
  • His 2.06 ERA is best ever by a pitcher with more than 200 wins
  • Elected to Hall of Fame: 1949

Auction History

Cartophilia

T201 Mecca Canvas: Mordecai Brown

Roger Bresnahan

Catcher
  • Series: Pilgrims
  • City: St. Louis
  • Team: Cardinals
  • League: National League
  • Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame

Roger Bresnahan (1879-1944) played every position but came into his own as a lead-off-hitting catcher and battery mate to Christy Mathewson for John McGraw’s Giants. Innovation took guts in a rowdy era and he had the fortitude to introduce shin guards, batting helmets and padded masks over the protests of other clubs and the pelting of irate fans (who didn’t have to catch Mathewson.)

  • Batted .350 in 1903, trailing only Honus Wagner’s .355 and Fred Clarke’s .351
  • Elected to Hall of Fame the year after his death: 1945

Auction History

Cartophilia

T201 Mecca Canvas: Roger Bresnahan

Bill Bergen

Catcher
  • Series: Pilgrims
  • City: Brooklyn
  • Team: Superbas
  • League: National League

William Aloysius Bergen (1878-1943) spent 11 years in the majors carving out a special spot in the record books: worst hitter of all time. No one with more than 2500 ABs ever went lower than Bergen’s .170 lifetime average. And it wasn’t even close. Pitcher Pud Galvin is next at 201.

  • Bergen’s two career HRs were inside-the-park
  • Until Mark Lemke in 1997, no one surpassed Bergen’s record of not being hit-by-pitch in 3228 ABs
  • Bergen played 11 years because he was one of the game’s best defensive catchers

Auction History

Cartophilia

T201 Mecca Canvas: Bill Bergen

Babe Adams

Pitcher
  • Series: Pilgrims
  • City: Pittsburgh
  • Team: Pirates
  • League: National League

Charles Benjamin Adams (1882-1968) was one of the most remarkable control pitchers in baseball history. The superlatives just keep coming: only rookie to win 3 WS games (and, until Lackey in ’02, only rookie to win game 7); lowest rookie ERA ever at 1.11; fewest walks in a season of over 250 innings (18 in 1920 AFTER recovering from sore arm.) Still ranks at or near top of Pirate pitching records, the team for which he played virtually his whole career. Only pitcher with a better walk ratio in 20th Century was his Pittsburgh teammate Deacon Phillippe. Held Ty Cobb to 1 for 11 in the ’09 Series during his 3 complete games. Held Marquard’s Giants without a walk for 21 innings on 7/17/14, never equaled. Lifetime 2995 innings & ERA of 2.76, pitching shut-outs in his 40s. Were it not for intermittent arm troubles throughout his career, this Babe might have a place in Cooperstown.

  • The Depression forced Adams to work into old age. He entered journalism and covered WWII and Korea as a war correspondent

Auction History

Cartophilia

T201 Mecca Canvas: Bobby Byrne