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Known to family members as “Buck”, Louis Norman Newsom eschewed first names, instead calling friends and foes “Bobo”. Soon the moniker became his own nickname.

The right-hander debuted in 1929 and played until 1953, making him one of the majors’ few four-decade twirlers. With the right lens, Newsom’s career numbers appear to put him in the Cooperstown conversation. He’s in the top-100 all time in wins, strikeouts, WAR, and complete games. The 6’3″ 200-pounder earned votes in MVP balloting four times, finishing in the top-5 for the award twice.

Those statistics don’t tell the entire story.

A deeper look reveals plenty of unflattering numbers. Though his 211 wins rank 96th all time, only 25 hurlers have suffered more losses. The right-hander’s .487 winning percentage is the lowest in big league history among 200-game winners. His 2,082 strikeouts (73rd on the list) seem impressive until you consider that his 1,732 walks rank 6th all time. Sure he was a three-time 20-game winner but he also led the league in losses four times, dropping 20 decisions in 1934, ’41, and ’45. No pitcher in Cooperstown has an ERA as high as Newsom’s 3.98 mark.

The well-traveled pitcher suited up for 9 of the 16 different big league clubs that existed during his career. Newsom had five stints with the Washington Senators. He liked to say he had more terms in the capital than FDR. By the time he retired in ’53, his 26-year baseball career included 139 minor league wins and 350 professional victories overall.

To his credit, Newsom’s WAR total ranks above Hall of Fame hurlers Hoyt Wilhelm, Jim Kaat, Herb Pennock, Dizzy Dean, Jack Morris, Lefty Gomez, Chief Bender, and others. Newsom appeared on the writers’ ballot for the Hall 13 times, topping at at 9.4% in 1969.

In the collection is this vintage autograph of the 211-game winner who died in 1962 at age 55.