Max Carey vs Al Simmons: Career Stats Comparison
Al Simmons 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; Al Simmons played 1924–1944 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 Al Simmons (1924–1944) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Max Carey finished with 2,665 hits and 70 home runs; Al Simmons finished with 2,927 hits and 307 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Al Simmons, with 307 to Max Carey's 70.
- Who had the higher OPS? Al Simmons, with .915 to Max Carey's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average? Al Simmons, with .334 to Max Carey's .285.
- Who had more hits? Al Simmons, with 2,927 to Max Carey's 2,665.
- Who drove in more runs? Al Simmons, with 1,827 to Max Carey's 800.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Al Simmons, with 40,529 career PIV to Max Carey's 14,867.
- Who won more championships? Al Simmons, with 2 World Series titles to Max Carey's 1.
Al Simmons
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Max Carey and Al Simmons. 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, and the 1910s and the 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Max Carey | Al Simmons |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,476 | 2,215 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,363 | 8,759 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,545 | 1,507 |
| Hits | 2,665 | Leads: 2,927 |
| Doubles | 419 | Leads: 539 |
| Triples | Leads: 159 | 149 |
| Home Runs | 70 | Leads: 307 |
| RBI | 800 | Leads: 1,827 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,040 | 615 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 695 | 737 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 738 | 88 |
| Batting Avg | .285 | Leads: .334 |
| On-Base % | .361 | Leads: .380 |
| Slugging % | .386 | Leads: .535 |
| OPS | .747 | Leads: .915 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Simmons outpaces Max Carey 40,529 to 14,867 — driven by per-season impact — 1,930 PIV per season to 708 — rather than by longevity, since Al Simmons played 21 seasons to Max Carey's 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
Al Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Al Simmons leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average, while Max Carey owns runs and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Al Simmons. PIV agrees: Al Simmons 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 Al Simmons careers compare
The careers of Max Carey (1910–1929) and Al Simmons (1924–1944) overlapped from 1924 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 2,215 for Al Simmons across 21 and 21 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Max Carey walked more often than struck out (1,040 walks, 695 strikeouts), while Al Simmons struck out more than walked (737 to 615). Home runs make up a larger share of Al Simmons's hits: 70 of 2,665 for Max Carey, 307 of 2,927 for Al Simmons.
Max Carey vs Al Simmons: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Max Carey or Al Simmons?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Al Simmons leads Max Carey in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Max Carey or Al Simmons hit more home runs?
- Al Simmons, with 307 to Max Carey's 70.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Al Simmons, with .915 to Max Carey's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Al Simmons, with .334 to Max Carey's .285.
- Who had more hits?
- Al Simmons, with 2,927 to Max Carey's 2,665.