Who Has The Lowest MLB Career Batting Average?

Batting average is one of the most basic statistics in baseball, and it's often used to measure a hitter's success. It's calculated by dividing the number of hits a player has by the number of at-bats. So, a player with a .300 batting average has gotten a hit in 3 out of every 10 at-bats.

The highest career batting average in MLB history belongs to Ty Cobb, who hit .366 over the course of his 24-year career. But what about the lowest career batting average?

The player with the lowest career batting average in MLB history is Bill Bergen, who hit .170 over the course of his 11-year career. Bergen was a catcher for the Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers from 1901 to 1911. He was a solid defender, but he was never a very good hitter. He never hit higher than .200 in a season, and he retired with just 27 home runs and 168 RBIs.

Overview Who has the lowest MLB career batting average?

Here's a list of the top 10 players with the lowest career batting averages in MLB history:

1. Bill Bergen (.170)
2. John Gochnaur (.185)
3. Dickie Thon (.189)
4. Dan Uggla (.194)
5. John Hummel (.194)
6. Chris Davis (.201)
7. Rob Deer (.204)
8. Mike Pagliarulo (.205)
9. Johnny Bates (.205)
10. George Wright (.206)

It's important to note that all of these players played in different eras, and the game of baseball has changed a lot over the years. For example, Bergen played during the dead-ball era, when it was much more difficult to hit home runs. Uggla and Davis, on the other hand, played in a more hitter-friendly era.

So, while it's fair to say that Bergen was a poor hitter, it's also important to keep in mind the context of the era in which he played.

How did Bergen get a job in the majors with such a low batting average?

In today's game, it's very unlikely that a player with a career batting average as low as Bergen's would ever make it to the majors. But in Bergen's era, things were different.

Back then, there were fewer teams and fewer players in the majors. This meant that there was more opportunity for players who might not have been as skilled as they are today.

Additionally, Bergen was a very good defender. He was a catcher, and he was known for his strong arm and his ability to block pitches. This made him valuable to his team, even though he wasn't a great hitter.

What happened to Bergen after he retired from baseball?

After retiring from baseball, Bergen went on to work as a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also served as a manager in the minor leagues.

Bergen died in 1953 at the age of 73. He is buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.

Other players with low career batting averages

There are a few other players in MLB history who had career batting averages that were almost as low as Bergen's.

One of them is Dickie Thon, who hit .189 over the course of his 13-year career. Thon was a shortstop who played for the Houston Astros, California Angels, and Seattle Mariners. He was a very good fielder, but he was never a very good hitter. He retired with just 1,268 hits and 35 home runs.

Another player with a low career batting average is Dan Uggla, who hit .194 over the course of his 11-year career. Uggla was a third baseman who played for the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants. He was a power hitter, but he was also very strikeout-prone. He retired with 264 home runs, but he also struck out 1,478 times.

Conclusion

While Bill Bergen has the lowest career batting average in MLB history, it's important to keep in mind the context of the era in which he played. Bergen was a solid defender, and he played at a time when batting averages were generally much lower across the league. His .170 career batting average is certainly poor by any standards, but he was still able to carve out an 11-year career in the majors thanks to his defensive skills as a catcher. The game has evolved a lot since Bergen's day, and it's unlikely we'll ever see another position player with a sub-.200 batting average last very long in the big leagues. But Bergen remains the standard-bearer for futility at the plate.