Oscar Charleston vs Sam Crawford: Career Stats Comparison
Sam Crawford has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 as a hitter; Sam Crawford played 1899–1917 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
Oscar Charleston (?–1941) and Sam Crawford (1899–1917) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs; Sam Crawford finished with 2,961 hits and 97 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Oscar Charleston, with 183 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS? Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average? Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits? Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.
- Who drove in more runs? Sam Crawford, with 1,519 to Oscar Charleston's 1,139.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Sam Crawford, with 41,381 career PIV to Oscar Charleston's 34,756.
Oscar Charleston
Sam Crawford
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Oscar Charleston and Sam Crawford. 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 | Oscar Charleston | Sam Crawford |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,336 | Leads: 2,517 |
| At-Bats | 4,903 | Leads: 9,570 |
| Runs | 1,164 | Leads: 1,391 |
| Hits | 1,718 | Leads: 2,961 |
| Doubles | 329 | Leads: 458 |
| Triples | 112 | Leads: 309 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 183 | 97 |
| RBI | 1,139 | Leads: 1,519 |
| Walks | 647 | Leads: 760 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 29 | 580 |
| Stolen Bases | 311 | Leads: 366 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .350 | .309 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .430 | .362 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .575 | .452 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.005 | .814 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Crawford leads Oscar Charleston 41,381 to 34,756 — driven by per-season impact — 2,178 PIV per season to 1,121 — rather than by longevity, since Sam Crawford played 19 seasons to Oscar Charleston's 31. 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).
Oscar Charleston — top 2 seasons by OPS
Sam Crawford — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Sam Crawford leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Oscar Charleston owns home runs, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Sam Crawford. PIV agrees: Sam Crawford grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Oscar Charleston and Sam Crawford careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Sam Crawford's ended in 1917, and Oscar Charleston debuted in 1941. The table compares 1,336 games of Oscar Charleston with 2,517 of Sam Crawford across 31 and 19 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. At the plate, Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts), and Sam Crawford walked more often than struck out (760 walks, 580 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Oscar Charleston's hits: 183 of 1,718 for Oscar Charleston, 97 of 2,961 for Sam Crawford. Oscar Charleston was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Oscar Charleston's on-base percentage of .430 tops Sam Crawford's .362.
Oscar Charleston vs Sam Crawford: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Oscar Charleston or Sam Crawford?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Sam Crawford leads Oscar Charleston in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Oscar Charleston or Sam Crawford hit more home runs?
- Oscar Charleston, with 183 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits?
- Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.