Jesse Burkett vs Jimmy Ryan: Career Stats Comparison

Jesse Burkett has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 12 scored categories on this page (3 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Jesse Burkett played 1890–1905 as a hitter; Jimmy Ryan played 1885–1903 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

Jesse Burkett (1890–1905) and Jimmy Ryan (1885–1903) — they debuted in the 1890s and the 1880s respectively and share 14 seasons. Jesse Burkett finished with 2,850 hits and 75 home runs; Jimmy Ryan finished with 2,513 hits and 118 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who leads the career comparison? Jesse Burkett, in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
  • Who hit more home runs? Jimmy Ryan, with 118 to Jesse Burkett's 75.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Jesse Burkett, with .861 to Jimmy Ryan's .820.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Jesse Burkett, with .338 to Jimmy Ryan's .308.
  • Who had more hits? Jesse Burkett, with 2,850 to Jimmy Ryan's 2,513.
  • Who drove in more runs? Jimmy Ryan, with 1,093 to Jesse Burkett's 952.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Jesse Burkett, with 42,233 career PIV to Jimmy Ryan's 27,588.
Leads Jesse Burkett 8 of 12 scored categories
PIV edge Jesse Burkett +14,645
Read the 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 →

Jimmy Ryan

Hitter · 1885–1903
Games
2,014
Hits
2,513
Home Runs
118
RBI
1,093
Avg
.308
OPS
.820
View Jimmy Ryan's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jesse Burkett and Jimmy Ryan. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 12 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other 3 are shown but not scored. Games and at-bats measure playing time, strikeouts accumulate with a longer career, and a line where both players are at zero was won by neither, so those are left unmarked. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Jesse Burkett vs Jimmy Ryan: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Jesse Burkett Jimmy Ryan
Games not scored 2,067 2,014
At-Bats not scored 8,426 8,172
Runs Leads: 1,720 1,643
Hits Leads: 2,850 2,513
Doubles 320 Leads: 451
Triples Leads: 182 157
Home Runs 75 Leads: 118
RBI 952 Leads: 1,093
Walks Leads: 1,029 804
Strikeouts not scored 613 491
Stolen Bases 389 Leads: 419
Batting Avg Leads: .338 .308
On-Base % Leads: .415 .375
Slugging % Leads: .446 .444
OPS Leads: .861 .820

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jesse Burkett outpaces Jimmy Ryan 42,233 to 27,588 — driven by per-season impact — 2,640 PIV per season to 1,533 — rather than by longevity, since Jesse Burkett played 16 seasons to Jimmy Ryan's 18. 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)
Jimmy Ryan
27,588
Career PIV · 1,533 per season (18 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

Jimmy Ryan — top 3 seasons by OPS

1889.919 OPS17 HR, 72 RBI, .325 avg
1894.903 OPS3 HR, 62 RBI, .357 avg
1888.892 OPS16 HR, 64 RBI, .332 avg

Verdict

Jesse Burkett leads 8 of the 12 scored categories on the head-to-head card: runs, hits, triples, walks, and others. Jimmy Ryan leads 4: doubles, home runs, RBI, and stolen bases. 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.

Related Matchups

How the Jesse Burkett and Jimmy Ryan careers compare

The careers of Jesse Burkett (1890–1905) and Jimmy Ryan (1885–1903) overlapped from 1890 to 1903, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,067 games for Jesse Burkett and 2,014 for Jimmy Ryan across 16 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Jimmy Ryan are doubles (451 to 320), home runs (118 to 75), and RBI (1,093 to 952). Jesse Burkett walked more often than struck out (1,029 walks, 613 strikeouts); Jimmy Ryan walked more often than struck out (804 walks, 491 strikeouts).

Jesse Burkett vs Jimmy Ryan: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Jesse Burkett or Jimmy Ryan?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Jesse Burkett leads Jimmy Ryan in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
Did Jesse Burkett or Jimmy Ryan hit more home runs?
Jimmy Ryan, with 118 to Jesse Burkett's 75.
Who had the higher OPS?
Jesse Burkett, with .861 to Jimmy Ryan's .820.
Who had the higher batting average?
Jesse Burkett, with .338 to Jimmy Ryan's .308.
Who had more hits?
Jesse Burkett, with 2,850 to Jimmy Ryan's 2,513.