Fred Clarke vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Fred Clarke (1894–1915) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — 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; Honus Wagner finished with 3,420 hits and 101 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Fred Clarke
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Fred Clarke | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,246 | 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 8,584 | 10,439 |
| Runs | 1,622 | 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,678 | 3,420 |
| Doubles | 361 | 643 |
| Triples | 220 | 252 |
| Home Runs | 67 | 101 |
| RBI | 1,015 | 1,733 |
| Walks | 875 | 963 |
| Strikeouts | 511 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 509 | 723 |
| Batting Avg | .312 | .328 |
| On-Base % | .386 | .391 |
| Slugging % | .429 | .467 |
| OPS | .814 | .858 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Fred Clarke 59,177 to 34,764 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,818 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
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner 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 Honus Wagner. PIV agrees: Honus Wagner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.