Cap Anson vs Freddie Freeman: Career Stats Comparison

Cap Anson (1871–1897) and Freddie Freeman (2010–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; Freddie Freeman finished with 2,431 hits and 367 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 →

Freddie Freeman

Hitter · 2010–present
Games
2,179
Hits
2,431
Home Runs
367
RBI
1,322
Avg
.300
OPS
.897
View Freddie Freeman's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Cap Anson Freddie Freeman
Games 2,524 2,179
At-Bats 10,281 8,114
Runs 1,999 1,379
Hits 3,435 2,431
Doubles 582 547
Triples 142 33
Home Runs 97 367
RBI 2,075 1,322
Walks 984 1,070
Strikeouts 330 1,763
Stolen Bases 277 104
Batting Avg .334 .300
On-Base % .394 .386
Slugging % .447 .511
OPS .841 .897

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cap Anson leads Freddie Freeman 52,242 to 41,593 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,935 vs 2,600 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)
Freddie Freeman
41,593
Career PIV · 2,600 per season (16 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

Freddie Freeman — top 3 seasons by OPS

2017.989 OPS28 HR, 71 RBI, .307 avg
2023.976 OPS29 HR, 102 RBI, .331 avg
2016.968 OPS34 HR, 91 RBI, .302 avg

Verdict

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