Max Carey vs Fred Clarke: Career Stats Comparison

Max Carey (1910–1929) and Fred Clarke (1894–1915) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Max Carey finished with 2,665 hits and 70 home runs; Fred Clarke finished with 2,678 hits and 67 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Max Carey

Hitter · 1910–1929
Games
2,476
Hits
2,665
Home Runs
70
RBI
800
Avg
.285
OPS
.747
View Max Carey's full profile →

Fred Clarke

Hitter · 1894–1915
Games
2,246
Hits
2,678
Home Runs
67
RBI
1,015
Avg
.312
OPS
.814
View Fred Clarke's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Max Carey and Fred Clarke. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Max Carey Fred Clarke
Games 2,476 2,246
At-Bats 9,363 8,584
Runs 1,545 1,622
Hits 2,665 2,678
Doubles 419 361
Triples 159 220
Home Runs 70 67
RBI 800 1,015
Walks 1,040 875
Strikeouts 695 511
Stolen Bases 738 509
Batting Avg .285 .312
On-Base % .361 .386
Slugging % .386 .429
OPS .747 .814

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Fred Clarke outpaces Max Carey 34,764 to 14,867 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,655 vs 708 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Max Carey
14,867
Career PIV · 708 per season (21 seasons)
Fred Clarke
34,764
Career PIV · 1,655 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1925.909 OPS5 HR, 44 RBI, .343 avg
1922.868 OPS10 HR, 70 RBI, .329 avg
1923.841 OPS6 HR, 63 RBI, .308 avg

Fred Clarke — top 3 seasons by OPS

1897.992 OPS6 HR, 67 RBI, .390 avg
1903.946 OPS5 HR, 70 RBI, .351 avg
1911.900 OPS5 HR, 49 RBI, .324 avg

Verdict

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

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