Cap Anson vs Jimmie Foxx: Career Stats Comparison
Cap Anson (1871–1897) and Jimmie Foxx (1925–1945) — they broke in during the 1870s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Cap Anson finished with 3,435 hits and 97 home runs; Jimmie Foxx finished with 2,646 hits and 534 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Jimmie Foxx
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Cap Anson and Jimmie Foxx. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Cap Anson | Jimmie Foxx |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,524 | 2,317 |
| At-Bats | 10,281 | 8,134 |
| Runs | 1,999 | 1,751 |
| Hits | 3,435 | 2,646 |
| Doubles | 582 | 458 |
| Triples | 142 | 125 |
| Home Runs | 97 | 534 |
| RBI | 2,075 | 1,922 |
| Walks | 984 | 1,452 |
| Strikeouts | 330 | 1,311 |
| Stolen Bases | 277 | 87 |
| Batting Avg | .334 | .325 |
| On-Base % | .394 | .428 |
| Slugging % | .447 | .609 |
| OPS | .841 | 1.038 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jimmie Foxx outpaces Cap Anson 72,872 to 52,242 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,470 vs 1,935 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Jimmie Foxx — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Cap Anson leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Jimmie Foxx owns home runs, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Cap Anson. Note that PIV actually grades Jimmie Foxx ahead, which means Cap Anson's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.