John Clarkson vs King Kelly: Career Stats Comparison
John Clarkson and King Kelly played different roles, so their careers are compared side by side rather than scored against each other. John Clarkson played 1882–1894 as a pitcher; King Kelly played 1878–1893 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
John Clarkson (1882–1894) and King Kelly (1878–1893) played opposite sides of the ball, so there is no honest category-by-category scoreboard for this matchup. John Clarkson pitched, totalling 328 wins and 1,978 strikeouts; King Kelly hit, totalling 1,813 hits and 69 home runs. Each career is shown below in its own discipline, with PIV as the one measure that spans both roles.
Quick answer
- Who has the higher career PIV? John Clarkson, with 36,438 career PIV to King Kelly's 27,425.
John Clarkson
Career Stats, Each in His Own Role
John Clarkson is shown on pitching lines and King Kelly on batting lines. Nothing is marked as a category winner, because these two cards measure different jobs — reading them cell against cell would tell you nothing.
John Clarkson — Pitcher
| Statistic | John Clarkson |
|---|---|
| Wins | 328 |
| Losses | 178 |
| Games | 531 |
| Games Started | 518 |
| Complete Games | 485 |
| Shutouts | 37 |
| Saves | 5 |
| Strikeouts | 1,978 |
| Walks | 1,191 |
| Hits Allowed | 4,295 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 159 |
| Innings Pitched | 4,536.1 |
| ERA | 2.81 |
| WHIP | 1.21 |
| K/9 | 3.92 |
| BB/9 | 2.36 |
King Kelly — Hitter
| Statistic | King Kelly |
|---|---|
| Games | 1,456 |
| At-Bats | 5,896 |
| Runs | 1,357 |
| Hits | 1,813 |
| Doubles | 359 |
| Triples | 102 |
| Home Runs | 69 |
| RBI | 950 |
| Walks | 549 |
| Strikeouts | 418 |
| Stolen Bases | 368 |
| Batting Avg | .307 |
| On-Base % | .368 |
| Slugging % | .438 |
| OPS | .806 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
John Clarkson carries a career pitching PIV of 36,438; King Kelly carries a career batting PIV of 27,425. John Clarkson is the higher of the two at 36,438 to 27,425. Both figures adjust each season to league baselines, but batting PIV and pitching PIV are calibrated separately — so read this as a directional comparison of career impact, not a settled verdict.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked within his own role — ERA for the pitcher (120+ innings), OPS for the hitter (300+ at-bats).
John Clarkson — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
King Kelly — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
There is no head-to-head scoreboard for John Clarkson and King Kelly: one pitched and one hit, and no counting stat means the same thing on both cards. On PIV — the one metric that scores both roles against league baselines — John Clarkson grades higher, 36,438 to 27,425. Because the batting and pitching versions of PIV are calibrated separately, that gap is a directional signal about career impact rather than a ruling on who was the better ballplayer. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the John Clarkson and King Kelly careers compare
The careers of John Clarkson (1882–1894) and King Kelly (1878–1893) overlapped from 1882 to 1893, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. John Clarkson's pitching card shows 328 wins, a 2.81 ERA and 1,978 strikeouts. As a hitter, King Kelly collected 1,813 hits and 69 home runs with a .806 OPS. No single table can grade a pitcher against a hitter, so each career is shown in its own discipline, with PIV as the common scale. Their best seasons are measured differently, 1.85 ERA in 1885 for John Clarkson and 1.018 OPS in 1886 for King Kelly.
John Clarkson vs King Kelly: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has the higher career PIV?
- John Clarkson, with 36,438 career PIV to King Kelly's 27,425.
- How do John Clarkson and King Kelly compare?
- John Clarkson played 1882–1894 and King Kelly played 1878–1893; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.