Cap Anson vs Matt Olson: Career Stats Comparison
Cap Anson (1871–1897) and Matt Olson (2016–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; Matt Olson finished with 1,155 hits and 288 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Matt Olson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Cap Anson and Matt Olson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Cap Anson | Matt Olson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,524 | 1,223 |
| At-Bats | 10,281 | 4,496 |
| Runs | 1,999 | 712 |
| Hits | 3,435 | 1,155 |
| Doubles | 582 | 250 |
| Triples | 142 | 7 |
| Home Runs | 97 | 288 |
| RBI | 2,075 | 808 |
| Walks | 984 | 613 |
| Strikeouts | 330 | 1,238 |
| Stolen Bases | 277 | 9 |
| Batting Avg | .334 | .257 |
| On-Base % | .394 | .351 |
| Slugging % | .447 | .508 |
| OPS | .841 | .859 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cap Anson outpaces Matt Olson 52,242 to 17,319 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,935 vs 1,732 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
Matt Olson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Cap Anson leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Matt Olson 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.