Max Carey vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison

Max Carey (1910–1929) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) — 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; Paul Waner finished with 3,152 hits and 113 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 →

Paul Waner

Hitter · 1926–1945
Games
2,549
Hits
3,152
Home Runs
113
RBI
1,309
Avg
.333
OPS
.878
View Paul Waner's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Max Carey Paul Waner
Games 2,476 2,549
At-Bats 9,363 9,459
Runs 1,545 1,627
Hits 2,665 3,152
Doubles 419 605
Triples 159 191
Home Runs 70 113
RBI 800 1,309
Walks 1,040 1,091
Strikeouts 695 376
Stolen Bases 738 104
Batting Avg .285 .333
On-Base % .361 .404
Slugging % .386 .473
OPS .747 .878

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Max Carey 40,296 to 14,867 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,832 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)
Paul Waner
40,296
Career PIV · 1,832 per season (22 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

Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS

1928.992 OPS6 HR, 86 RBI, .370 avg
1927.986 OPS9 HR, 131 RBI, .380 avg
1934.968 OPS14 HR, 90 RBI, .362 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Paul Waner 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 Paul Waner. PIV agrees: Paul Waner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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