Ty Cobb vs Bryce Harper: Career Stats Comparison
Ty Cobb (1905–1928) and Bryce Harper (2012–present) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 2010s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ty Cobb finished with 4,189 hits and 117 home runs; Bryce Harper finished with 1,801 hits and 363 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Bryce Harper
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ty Cobb and Bryce Harper. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Ty Cobb | Bryce Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,035 | 1,785 |
| At-Bats | 11,436 | 6,435 |
| Runs | 2,247 | 1,154 |
| Hits | 4,189 | 1,801 |
| Doubles | 724 | 401 |
| Triples | 295 | 24 |
| Home Runs | 117 | 363 |
| RBI | 1,944 | 1,051 |
| Walks | 1,249 | 1,105 |
| Strikeouts | 680 | 1,654 |
| Stolen Bases | 896 | 152 |
| Batting Avg | .366 | .280 |
| On-Base % | .433 | .387 |
| Slugging % | .512 | .519 |
| OPS | .945 | .905 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Bryce Harper 87,488 to 34,405 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,645 vs 2,458 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
Bryce Harper — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ty Cobb leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Bryce Harper 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.