Max Carey vs Babe Ruth: Career Stats Comparison
Max Carey (1910–1929) and Babe Ruth (1914–1935) — both broke in during the 1910s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Max Carey finished with 2,665 hits and 70 home runs; Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Babe Ruth
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Max Carey and Babe Ruth. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Max Carey | Babe Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,476 | 2,503 |
| At-Bats | 9,363 | 8,398 |
| Runs | 1,545 | 2,174 |
| Hits | 2,665 | 2,873 |
| Doubles | 419 | 506 |
| Triples | 159 | 136 |
| Home Runs | 70 | 714 |
| RBI | 800 | 2,217 |
| Walks | 1,040 | 2,062 |
| Strikeouts | 695 | 1,330 |
| Stolen Bases | 738 | 123 |
| Batting Avg | .285 | .342 |
| On-Base % | .361 | .474 |
| Slugging % | .386 | .690 |
| OPS | .747 | 1.164 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Max Carey 111,979 to 14,867 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,090 vs 708 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).
Max Carey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Max Carey owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.