Ty Cobb vs Sam Crawford: Career Stats Comparison
Ty Cobb has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Ty Cobb played 1905–1928 as a hitter; Sam Crawford played 1899–1917 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
Ty Cobb (1905–1928) and Sam Crawford (1899–1917) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ty Cobb finished with 4,189 hits and 117 home runs; Sam Crawford finished with 2,961 hits and 97 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ty Cobb, with 117 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ty Cobb, with .945 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ty Cobb, with .366 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits? Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Sam Crawford's 2,961.
- Who drove in more runs? Ty Cobb, with 1,944 to Sam Crawford's 1,519.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ty Cobb, with 87,488 career PIV to Sam Crawford's 41,381.
Sam Crawford
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ty Cobb | Sam Crawford |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,035 | 2,517 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 11,436 | 9,570 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,247 | 1,391 |
| Hits | Leads: 4,189 | 2,961 |
| Doubles | Leads: 724 | 458 |
| Triples | 295 | Leads: 309 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 117 | 97 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,944 | 1,519 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,249 | 760 |
| Strikeouts | 680 | 580 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 896 | 366 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .366 | .309 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .433 | .362 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .512 | .452 |
| OPS | Leads: .945 | .814 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Sam Crawford 87,488 to 41,381 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,645 vs 2,178 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).
Ty Cobb — top 3 seasons by OPS
Sam Crawford — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ty Cobb leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Sam Crawford owns no headline categories. 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.
Related Matchups
Ty Cobb vs Sam Crawford: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ty Cobb or Sam Crawford?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ty Cobb leads Sam Crawford in 13 of 14 categories.
- Did Ty Cobb or Sam Crawford hit more home runs?
- Ty Cobb, with 117 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ty Cobb, with .945 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ty Cobb, with .366 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits?
- Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Sam Crawford's 2,961.