Max Carey vs Babe Ruth: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth has the better career line of the two, leading 11 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; Babe Ruth played 1914–1935 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 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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Babe Ruth, with 714 to Max Carey's 70.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Max Carey's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Ruth, with .342 to Max Carey's .285.
- Who had more hits? Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Max Carey's 2,665.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Max Carey's 800.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Max Carey's 14,867.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Max Carey's 1.
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. 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 | Babe Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,476 | Leads: 2,503 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,363 | 8,398 |
| Runs | 1,545 | Leads: 2,174 |
| Hits | 2,665 | Leads: 2,873 |
| Doubles | 419 | Leads: 506 |
| Triples | Leads: 159 | 136 |
| Home Runs | 70 | Leads: 714 |
| RBI | 800 | Leads: 2,217 |
| Walks | 1,040 | Leads: 2,062 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 695 | 1,330 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 738 | 123 |
| Batting Avg | .285 | Leads: .342 |
| On-Base % | .361 | Leads: .474 |
| Slugging % | .386 | Leads: .690 |
| OPS | .747 | Leads: 1.164 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Max Carey 111,979 to 14,867 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,090 PIV per season to 708, across 22 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
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.
Related Matchups
How the Max Carey and Babe Ruth careers compare
The careers of Max Carey (1910–1929) and Babe Ruth (1914–1935) overlapped from 1914 to 1929, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,476 games for Max Carey and 2,503 for Babe Ruth across 21 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Max Carey are at-bats (9,363 to 8,398), triples (159 to 136), and stolen bases (738 to 123). Max Carey walked more often than struck out (1,040 walks, 695 strikeouts); Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts).
Max Carey vs Babe Ruth: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Max Carey or Babe Ruth?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Max Carey in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Max Carey or Babe Ruth hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Max Carey's 70.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Max Carey's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Ruth, with .342 to Max Carey's .285.
- Who had more hits?
- Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Max Carey's 2,665.