Ty Cobb vs Gavvy Cravath: Career Stats Comparison

Ty Cobb (1905–1928) and Gavvy Cravath (1908–1920) — both broke in during the 1900s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Ty Cobb finished with 4,189 hits and 117 home runs; Gavvy Cravath finished with 1,134 hits and 119 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Ty Cobb

Hitter · 1905–1928
Games
3,035
Hits
4,189
Home Runs
117
RBI
1,944
Avg
.366
OPS
.945
View Ty Cobb's full profile →

Gavvy Cravath

Hitter · 1908–1920
Games
1,220
Hits
1,134
Home Runs
119
RBI
719
Avg
.287
OPS
.858
View Gavvy Cravath's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ty Cobb and Gavvy Cravath. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Ty Cobb Gavvy Cravath
Games 3,035 1,220
At-Bats 11,436 3,951
Runs 2,247 575
Hits 4,189 1,134
Doubles 724 232
Triples 295 83
Home Runs 117 119
RBI 1,944 719
Walks 1,249 561
Strikeouts 680 578
Stolen Bases 896 89
Batting Avg .366 .287
On-Base % .433 .380
Slugging % .512 .478
OPS .945 .858

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Gavvy Cravath 87,488 to 23,467 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,645 vs 1,956 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Ty Cobb
87,488
Career PIV · 3,645 per season (24 seasons)
Gavvy Cravath
23,467
Career PIV · 1,956 per season (12 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Ty Cobb — top 3 seasons by OPS

19111.088 OPS8 HR, 127 RBI, .420 avg
19251.066 OPS12 HR, 102 RBI, .378 avg
19211.048 OPS12 HR, 101 RBI, .389 avg

Gavvy Cravath — top 3 seasons by OPS

1913.974 OPS19 HR, 128 RBI, .341 avg
1915.902 OPS24 HR, 115 RBI, .285 avg
1914.901 OPS19 HR, 100 RBI, .299 avg

Verdict

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

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