[3] His father Jacob Bassler (born 1866) was a Pennsylvania native who worked in a paper mill in 1900 and as a motorman on a street car in 1910.

[4][5] By 1920, Bassler's family had moved to 2434 Bundy Drive in West Los Angeles, where his father was working as a motorman for the electric railroad.

Bassler made his major league debut for the Cleveland Naps on July 11, 1913, one month after his 18th birthday.

Though he compiled a .182 batting average he drew 15 bases on balls in 94 plate appearances to boost his on-base percentage to .323.

[10] He missed the 1918 season due to military service during the United States' participation in World War I.

He also ranked among the American League's leading catchers with a 5.11 range factor rating per nine innings (first), 433 putouts (fifth), 113 assists (fourth), and a .975 fielding percentage (fifth).

Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb finished first and second in batting average,[15] and the team finished the season with a batting average of .316, the highest in American League history and second highest in major league history.

Defensively, he continued to rank among the league's leading catchers with 12 double plays turned (fourth), a 4.53 range factor rating per game, 113 assists (fifth), and a .980 fielding percentage (fifth).

Offensively, he ranked among the American League leaders with a .414 on-base percentage (eighth), 76 bases on balls (ninth), and 29.5 at bats per strikeout.

[19] Between the 1923 and 1924 seasons, Harry Bullion of the Detroit Free Press wrote that Bassler, like Cobb, was a student of the game.

[22] He also had another strong defensive season, ranking among the league's leading catchers with 103 assists (third), 11 double plays turned (third), a .979 fielding percentage (fourth), and 402 putouts (fifth).

[10] In the voting for the 1924 American League MVP, he finished fifth behind pitchers Walter Johnson and Herb Pennock, second baseman Eddie Collins, and outfielder Charlie Jamieson.

Bassler recalled:"I was a dead left-field hitter and all a good pitcher had to do was shoot me a fast high ball, inside, and I'd pop up.

I found Veach used a little fuller swing than I against this delivery, always keeping his wrist behind the point of contact with the ball.

About the middle of 1924, after experimenting, I landed upon the combination of a big-handled bat of light Cuban wood and a full swing patterned after Veach.

James wrote that, "if his major league career wasn't so short he would rank among the top 20 catchers of all time.

"[26] In his book, The Hollywood Stars, Richard E. Beverage wrote that Bassler was "one of the greatest catchers in minor league history.

"[27] On March 30, 1935, Bassler collapsed with what was originally reported to be a stomach hemorrhage while in the dugout during a spring game for the Stars against the Chicago Cubs.

On the last day of the 1937 season, pitcher Dick Barrett needed two victories to reach 20 and earn a $500 bonus.

[32][33] Over the course of 15 seasons, Bassler appeared in 1,525 games in the PCL, compiled .321 batting average with 1,353 hits, 533 runs scored, and 198 doubles.

In three years working with Bassler, Feller won 68 games and led the American League in wins and strikeouts in both 1939 and 1940.

In his autobiography, Feller wrote that the players decided to stop dealing with Vitt and work instead with Bassler.

We were doing what people in a lot of organizations with management problems do: ignore the top guy and work with the second in command.

"[37] On December 7, 1940, Bassler was hired as a coach for the St. Louis Browns and was given the responsibility of working with the pitchers.

Bassler saw an opportunity to obtain materials from discarded sets to help build his house in Latigo Canyon.

Bassler's son joked that their house went up bit by bit with pieces from Hollywood sets, including the front door from a Gene Tierney film Leave Her to Heaven, and the back of the house (in Chinese style) from Gregory Peck's The Keys of the Kingdom.

[3] Bassler coached Bob Feller before he entered the military during World War II, and the two became friends.

[2] His youngest child, James Bassler, became a renowned weaver and fiber artist and a professor at the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture.