Fred Clarke vs Ty Cobb: Career Stats Comparison
Fred Clarke (1894–1915) and Ty Cobb (1905–1928) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1900s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Fred Clarke finished with 2,678 hits and 67 home runs; Ty Cobb finished with 4,189 hits and 117 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Fred Clarke
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Fred Clarke and Ty Cobb. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Fred Clarke | Ty Cobb |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,246 | 3,035 |
| At-Bats | 8,584 | 11,436 |
| Runs | 1,622 | 2,247 |
| Hits | 2,678 | 4,189 |
| Doubles | 361 | 724 |
| Triples | 220 | 295 |
| Home Runs | 67 | 117 |
| RBI | 1,015 | 1,944 |
| Walks | 875 | 1,249 |
| Strikeouts | 511 | 680 |
| Stolen Bases | 509 | 896 |
| Batting Avg | .312 | .366 |
| On-Base % | .386 | .433 |
| Slugging % | .429 | .512 |
| OPS | .814 | .945 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Fred Clarke 87,488 to 34,764 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,645 vs 1,655 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).
Fred Clarke — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ty Cobb — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ty Cobb leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Fred Clarke owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ty Cobb. PIV agrees: Ty Cobb grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.