Cap Anson vs Yandy Diaz: Career Stats Comparison

Cap Anson (1871–1897) and Yandy Diaz (2017–present) — they broke in during the 1870s and the 2010s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Cap Anson finished with 3,435 hits and 97 home runs; Yandy Diaz finished with 957 hits and 100 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Cap Anson

Hitter · 1871–1897
Games
2,524
Hits
3,435
Home Runs
97
RBI
2,075
Avg
.334
OPS
.841
View Cap Anson's full profile →

Yandy Diaz

Hitter · 2017–present
Games
903
Hits
957
Home Runs
100
RBI
424
Avg
.290
OPS
.813
View Yandy Diaz's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Cap Anson and Yandy Diaz. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Cap Anson Yandy Diaz
Games 2,524 903
At-Bats 10,281 3,295
Runs 1,999 471
Hits 3,435 957
Doubles 582 184
Triples 142 7
Home Runs 97 100
RBI 2,075 424
Walks 984 409
Strikeouts 330 558
Stolen Bases 277 11
Batting Avg .334 .290
On-Base % .394 .372
Slugging % .447 .442
OPS .841 .813

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cap Anson outpaces Yandy Diaz 52,242 to 9,130 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,935 vs 1,014 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Cap Anson
52,242
Career PIV · 1,935 per season (27 seasons)
Yandy Diaz
9,130
Career PIV · 1,014 per season (9 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1894.997 OPS5 HR, 100 RBI, .388 avg
1886.977 OPS10 HR, 147 RBI, .371 avg
1881.952 OPS1 HR, 82 RBI, .399 avg

Yandy Diaz — top 3 seasons by OPS

2023.932 OPS22 HR, 78 RBI, .330 avg
2025.848 OPS25 HR, 83 RBI, .300 avg
2022.824 OPS9 HR, 57 RBI, .296 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Cap Anson leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Yandy Diaz owns home runs. 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.

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