Fred Clarke vs Willie Keeler: Career Stats Comparison

Fred Clarke (1894–1915) and Willie Keeler (1892–1910) — 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; Willie Keeler finished with 2,932 hits and 33 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Fred Clarke

Hitter · 1894–1915
Games
2,246
Hits
2,678
Home Runs
67
RBI
1,015
Avg
.312
OPS
.814
View Fred Clarke's full profile →

Willie Keeler

Hitter · 1892–1910
Games
2,123
Hits
2,932
Home Runs
33
RBI
810
Avg
.341
OPS
.802
View Willie Keeler's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Fred Clarke and Willie Keeler. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Fred Clarke Willie Keeler
Games 2,246 2,123
At-Bats 8,584 8,591
Runs 1,622 1,719
Hits 2,678 2,932
Doubles 361 241
Triples 220 145
Home Runs 67 33
RBI 1,015 810
Walks 875 524
Strikeouts 511 136
Stolen Bases 509 495
Batting Avg .312 .341
On-Base % .386 .388
Slugging % .429 .415
OPS .814 .802

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Fred Clarke leads Willie Keeler 34,764 to 29,044 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,655 vs 1,452 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Fred Clarke
34,764
Career PIV · 1,655 per season (21 seasons)
Willie Keeler
29,044
Career PIV · 1,452 per season (20 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1897.992 OPS6 HR, 67 RBI, .390 avg
1903.946 OPS5 HR, 70 RBI, .351 avg
1911.900 OPS5 HR, 49 RBI, .324 avg

Willie Keeler — top 3 seasons by OPS

18971.003 OPS0 HR, 74 RBI, .424 avg
1894.944 OPS5 HR, 94 RBI, .371 avg
1896.928 OPS4 HR, 82 RBI, .386 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Fred Clarke leads in home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and OPS, while Willie Keeler owns hits, runs, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Fred Clarke. PIV agrees: Fred Clarke grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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