Home Run Baker vs Sam Crawford: Career Stats Comparison
Sam Crawford has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Home Run Baker played 1908–1922 as a hitter; Sam Crawford played 1899–1917 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
Home Run Baker (1908–1922) and Sam Crawford (1899–1917) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Home Run Baker finished with 1,838 hits and 96 home runs; Sam Crawford finished with 2,961 hits and 97 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Sam Crawford, with 97 to Home Run Baker's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS? Sam Crawford, with .814 to Home Run Baker's .805.
- Who had the higher batting average? Sam Crawford, with .309 to Home Run Baker's .307.
- Who had more hits? Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Home Run Baker's 1,838.
- Who drove in more runs? Sam Crawford, with 1,519 to Home Run Baker's 987.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Sam Crawford, with 41,381 career PIV to Home Run Baker's 22,634.
- Who won more championships? Home Run Baker, with 3 World Series titles to Sam Crawford's 0.
Home Run Baker
Sam Crawford
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Home Run Baker and Sam Crawford. 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 1900s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Home Run Baker | Sam Crawford |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,575 | Leads: 2,517 |
| At-Bats | 5,984 | Leads: 9,570 |
| Runs | 887 | Leads: 1,391 |
| Hits | 1,838 | Leads: 2,961 |
| Doubles | 315 | Leads: 458 |
| Triples | 103 | Leads: 309 |
| Home Runs | 96 | Leads: 97 |
| RBI | 987 | Leads: 1,519 |
| Walks | 473 | Leads: 760 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 344 | 580 |
| Stolen Bases | 235 | Leads: 366 |
| Batting Avg | .307 | Leads: .309 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .363 | .362 |
| Slugging % | .442 | Leads: .452 |
| OPS | .805 | Leads: .814 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Crawford outpaces Home Run Baker 41,381 to 22,634 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,178 PIV per season to 1,741, across 19 seasons to 13. 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).
Home Run Baker — top 3 seasons by OPS
Sam Crawford — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Sam Crawford leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Home Run Baker owns OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Sam Crawford. PIV agrees: Sam Crawford grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Home Run Baker and Sam Crawford careers compare
Home Run Baker and Sam Crawford were active at the same time between 1908 and 1917. Sam Crawford has the far longer record, 2,517 games against 1,575 across 13 and 19 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Home Run Baker's edges on the table are on-base percentage (.363 to .362). At the plate, Home Run Baker walked more often than struck out (473 walks, 344 strikeouts), and Sam Crawford walked more often than struck out (760 walks, 580 strikeouts). Home Run Baker is the more power-leaning hitter, with 96 of 1,838 hits leaving the park. Home Run Baker was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Home Run Baker vs Sam Crawford: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Home Run Baker or Sam Crawford?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Sam Crawford leads Home Run Baker in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Home Run Baker or Sam Crawford hit more home runs?
- Sam Crawford, with 97 to Home Run Baker's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Sam Crawford, with .814 to Home Run Baker's .805.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Sam Crawford, with .309 to Home Run Baker's .307.
- Who had more hits?
- Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Home Run Baker's 1,838.