Jesse Burkett vs Billy Hamilton: Career Stats Comparison

Jesse Burkett (1890–1905) and Billy Hamilton (1888–1901) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1880s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jesse Burkett finished with 2,850 hits and 75 home runs; Billy Hamilton finished with 2,164 hits and 40 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Jesse Burkett

Hitter · 1890–1905
Games
2,067
Hits
2,850
Home Runs
75
RBI
952
Avg
.338
OPS
.861
View Jesse Burkett's full profile →

Billy Hamilton

Hitter · 1888–1901
Games
1,594
Hits
2,164
Home Runs
40
RBI
742
Avg
.344
OPS
.888
View Billy Hamilton's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jesse Burkett and Billy Hamilton. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Jesse Burkett Billy Hamilton
Games 2,067 1,594
At-Bats 8,426 6,283
Runs 1,720 1,697
Hits 2,850 2,164
Doubles 320 242
Triples 182 95
Home Runs 75 40
RBI 952 742
Walks 1,029 1,189
Strikeouts 613 362
Stolen Bases 389 914
Batting Avg .338 .344
On-Base % .415 .455
Slugging % .446 .432
OPS .861 .888

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jesse Burkett leads Billy Hamilton 42,233 to 38,004 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,640 vs 2,715 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jesse Burkett
42,233
Career PIV · 2,640 per season (16 seasons)
Billy Hamilton
38,004
Career PIV · 2,715 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Jesse Burkett — top 3 seasons by OPS

18961.002 OPS6 HR, 72 RBI, .410 avg
18951.001 OPS5 HR, 83 RBI, .405 avg
1899.963 OPS7 HR, 71 RBI, .396 avg

Billy Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS

18941.044 OPS4 HR, 90 RBI, .403 avg
18931.014 OPS5 HR, 44 RBI, .380 avg
1895.985 OPS7 HR, 74 RBI, .389 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jesse Burkett leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Billy Hamilton owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jesse Burkett. PIV agrees: Jesse Burkett grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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