Fred Clarke vs Babe Ruth: Career Stats Comparison
Fred Clarke (1894–1915) and Babe Ruth (1914–1935) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Fred Clarke finished with 2,678 hits and 67 home runs; Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Fred Clarke
Babe Ruth
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Fred Clarke and Babe Ruth. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Fred Clarke | Babe Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,246 | 2,503 |
| At-Bats | 8,584 | 8,398 |
| Runs | 1,622 | 2,174 |
| Hits | 2,678 | 2,873 |
| Doubles | 361 | 506 |
| Triples | 220 | 136 |
| Home Runs | 67 | 714 |
| RBI | 1,015 | 2,217 |
| Walks | 875 | 2,062 |
| Strikeouts | 511 | 1,330 |
| Stolen Bases | 509 | 123 |
| Batting Avg | .312 | .342 |
| On-Base % | .386 | .474 |
| Slugging % | .429 | .690 |
| OPS | .814 | 1.164 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Fred Clarke 111,979 to 34,764 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,090 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
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Fred Clarke owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.