Fred Clarke vs Sam Crawford: Career Stats Comparison
Fred Clarke (1894–1915) and Sam Crawford (1899–1917) — both broke in during the 1890s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Fred Clarke finished with 2,678 hits and 67 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.
Fred Clarke
Sam Crawford
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Fred Clarke and Sam Crawford. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Fred Clarke | Sam Crawford |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,246 | 2,517 |
| At-Bats | 8,584 | 9,570 |
| Runs | 1,622 | 1,391 |
| Hits | 2,678 | 2,961 |
| Doubles | 361 | 458 |
| Triples | 220 | 309 |
| Home Runs | 67 | 97 |
| RBI | 1,015 | 1,519 |
| Walks | 875 | 760 |
| Strikeouts | 511 | 580 |
| Stolen Bases | 509 | 366 |
| Batting Avg | .312 | .309 |
| On-Base % | .386 | .362 |
| Slugging % | .429 | .452 |
| OPS | .814 | .814 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Crawford leads Fred Clarke 41,381 to 34,764 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,178 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
Sam Crawford — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Fred Clarke leads in runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Sam Crawford owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Fred Clarke. Note that PIV actually grades Sam Crawford ahead, which means Fred Clarke's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.