He was born William Martin Dillhoefer on October 13, 1894, and he got his nickname because it matched the first syllable of his last name. Everyone called him Pickles.

During his rookie season in 1917 (his only season with the Cubs), he was the third string catcher behind Art Wilson and Rowdy Elliot. It's safe to say that he wasn't going to challenge Ty Cobb in the batters box. Pickles only batted .126 that year, and the Cubs finished 5th out of eight teams.

Pickles was a throw-in to the trade that brought Grover Cleveland Alexander to the Cubs in 1918, and he played for the Phillies and Cardinals the next four seasons. His best year was probably 1920, when he batted a whopping .263 in 200+ at bats.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck just as he was experiencing his greatest happiness. Pickles died at the young age of 27 from typhoid fever on February 23, 1922 just a few weeks after his wedding. He left behind a young bride, a colorful personality, and one of the best nicknames in baseball history.

When the Sporting News did an article in 2001 about the best nicknames of all time, Pickles was named #1.