Ty Cobb vs Al Simmons: Career Stats Comparison

Ty Cobb (1905–1928) and Al Simmons (1924–1944) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ty Cobb finished with 4,189 hits and 117 home runs; Al Simmons finished with 2,927 hits and 307 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 →

Al Simmons

Hitter · 1924–1944
Games
2,215
Hits
2,927
Home Runs
307
RBI
1,827
Avg
.334
OPS
.915
View Al Simmons's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ty Cobb Al Simmons
Games 3,035 2,215
At-Bats 11,436 8,759
Runs 2,247 1,507
Hits 4,189 2,927
Doubles 724 539
Triples 295 149
Home Runs 117 307
RBI 1,944 1,827
Walks 1,249 615
Strikeouts 680 737
Stolen Bases 896 88
Batting Avg .366 .334
On-Base % .433 .380
Slugging % .512 .535
OPS .945 .915

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Al Simmons 87,488 to 40,529 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,645 vs 1,930 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)
Al Simmons
40,529
Career PIV · 1,930 per season (21 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

Al Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS

19301.130 OPS36 HR, 165 RBI, .381 avg
19311.085 OPS22 HR, 128 RBI, .390 avg
19271.081 OPS15 HR, 108 RBI, .392 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ty Cobb leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Al Simmons 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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