Cap Anson vs Bill Dahlen: Career Stats Comparison
Cap Anson has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Cap Anson played 1871–1897 as a hitter; Bill Dahlen played 1891–1911 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Cap Anson (1871–1897) and Bill Dahlen (1891–1911) — they broke in during the 1870s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Cap Anson finished with 3,435 hits and 97 home runs; Bill Dahlen finished with 2,461 hits and 84 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Cap Anson, with 97 to Bill Dahlen's 84.
- Who had the higher OPS? Cap Anson, with .841 to Bill Dahlen's .740.
- Who had the higher batting average? Cap Anson, with .334 to Bill Dahlen's .272.
- Who had more hits? Cap Anson, with 3,435 to Bill Dahlen's 2,461.
- Who drove in more runs? Cap Anson, with 2,075 to Bill Dahlen's 1,234.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Cap Anson, with 52,242 career PIV to Bill Dahlen's 17,465.
- Who won more championships? Bill Dahlen, with 1 World Series title to Cap Anson's 0.
Bill Dahlen
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Cap Anson and Bill Dahlen. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1870s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Cap Anson | Bill Dahlen |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,524 | 2,444 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,281 | 9,036 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,999 | 1,590 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,435 | 2,461 |
| Doubles | Leads: 582 | 413 |
| Triples | 142 | Leads: 163 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 97 | 84 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,075 | 1,234 |
| Walks | 984 | Leads: 1,064 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 330 | 759 |
| Stolen Bases | 277 | Leads: 548 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .334 | .272 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .394 | .358 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .447 | .382 |
| OPS | Leads: .841 | .740 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cap Anson outpaces Bill Dahlen 52,242 to 17,465 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,935 PIV per season to 832, across 27 seasons to 21. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Cap Anson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bill Dahlen — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Cap Anson leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Dahlen owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Cap Anson. PIV agrees: Cap Anson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Cap Anson and Bill Dahlen careers compare
The careers of Cap Anson (1871–1897) and Bill Dahlen (1891–1911) overlapped from 1891 to 1897, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,524 games for Cap Anson and 2,444 for Bill Dahlen across 27 and 21 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Bill Dahlen are triples (163 to 142), walks (1,064 to 984), and stolen bases (548 to 277). At the plate, Cap Anson walked more often than struck out (984 walks, 330 strikeouts), and Bill Dahlen walked more often than struck out (1,064 walks, 759 strikeouts).
Cap Anson vs Bill Dahlen: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Cap Anson or Bill Dahlen?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Cap Anson leads Bill Dahlen in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Cap Anson or Bill Dahlen hit more home runs?
- Cap Anson, with 97 to Bill Dahlen's 84.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Cap Anson, with .841 to Bill Dahlen's .740.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Cap Anson, with .334 to Bill Dahlen's .272.
- Who had more hits?
- Cap Anson, with 3,435 to Bill Dahlen's 2,461.