Max Carey vs Oscar Charleston: Career Stats Comparison
Max Carey has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Max Carey played 1910–1929 as a hitter; Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 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
Max Carey (1910–1929) and Oscar Charleston (?–1941) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Max Carey finished with 2,665 hits and 70 home runs; Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Oscar Charleston, with 183 to Max Carey's 70.
- Who had the higher OPS? Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Max Carey's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average? Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Max Carey's .285.
- Who had more hits? Max Carey, with 2,665 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.
- Who drove in more runs? Oscar Charleston, with 1,139 to Max Carey's 800.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Oscar Charleston, with 34,756 career PIV to Max Carey's 14,867.
- Who won more championships? Max Carey, with 1 World Series title to Oscar Charleston's 0.
Oscar Charleston
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Max Carey and Oscar Charleston. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Max Carey | Oscar Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,476 | 1,336 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,363 | 4,903 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,545 | 1,164 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,665 | 1,718 |
| Doubles | Leads: 419 | 329 |
| Triples | Leads: 159 | 112 |
| Home Runs | 70 | Leads: 183 |
| RBI | 800 | Leads: 1,139 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,040 | 647 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 695 | 29 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 738 | 311 |
| Batting Avg | .285 | Leads: .350 |
| On-Base % | .361 | Leads: .430 |
| Slugging % | .386 | Leads: .575 |
| OPS | .747 | Leads: 1.005 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Oscar Charleston outpaces Max Carey 34,756 to 14,867 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,121 PIV per season to 708, across 31 seasons to 21. 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).
Max Carey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Oscar Charleston — top 2 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Oscar Charleston leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OBP, while Max Carey owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Oscar Charleston. PIV agrees: Oscar Charleston grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Max Carey and Oscar Charleston careers compare
Max Carey (1910–1929) was finished before Oscar Charleston (?–1941) arrived, so they never shared a league. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Max Carey appeared in 2,476 games to Oscar Charleston's 1,336. Max Carey walked more often than struck out (1,040 walks, 695 strikeouts); Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Oscar Charleston's hits: 70 of 2,665 for Max Carey, 183 of 1,718 for Oscar Charleston. Max Carey was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Max Carey vs Oscar Charleston: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Max Carey or Oscar Charleston?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Max Carey leads Oscar Charleston in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Max Carey or Oscar Charleston hit more home runs?
- Oscar Charleston, with 183 to Max Carey's 70.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Max Carey's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Max Carey's .285.
- Who had more hits?
- Max Carey, with 2,665 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.