Roger Bresnahan vs John McGraw: Career Stats Comparison
Roger Bresnahan (1897–1915) and John McGraw (1891–1907) — both broke in during the 1890s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Roger Bresnahan finished with 1,252 hits and 26 home runs; John McGraw finished with 1,309 hits and 13 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Roger Bresnahan
John McGraw
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roger Bresnahan and John McGraw. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Roger Bresnahan | John McGraw |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,446 | 1,100 |
| At-Bats | 4,481 | 3,924 |
| Runs | 682 | 1,024 |
| Hits | 1,252 | 1,309 |
| Doubles | 218 | 121 |
| Triples | 71 | 70 |
| Home Runs | 26 | 13 |
| RBI | 530 | 462 |
| Walks | 714 | 836 |
| Strikeouts | 403 | 155 |
| Stolen Bases | 212 | 436 |
| Batting Avg | .279 | .334 |
| On-Base % | .386 | .466 |
| Slugging % | .377 | .410 |
| OPS | .764 | .876 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), John McGraw leads Roger Bresnahan 22,730 to 18,191 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,263 vs 1,011 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).
Roger Bresnahan — top 3 seasons by OPS
John McGraw — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, John McGraw leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Roger Bresnahan owns home runs and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to John McGraw. PIV agrees: John McGraw grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.