Jimmy Collins vs Eddie Mathews: Career Stats Comparison

Jimmy Collins (1895–1908) and Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jimmy Collins finished with 1,999 hits and 65 home runs; Eddie Mathews finished with 2,315 hits and 512 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Jimmy Collins

Hitter · 1895–1908
Games
1,725
Hits
1,999
Home Runs
65
RBI
983
Avg
.294
OPS
.752
View Jimmy Collins's full profile →

Eddie Mathews

Hitter · 1952–1968
Games
2,391
Hits
2,315
Home Runs
512
RBI
1,453
Avg
.271
OPS
.885
View Eddie Mathews's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jimmy Collins and Eddie Mathews. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Jimmy Collins Eddie Mathews
Games 1,725 2,391
At-Bats 6,795 8,537
Runs 1,055 1,509
Hits 1,999 2,315
Doubles 352 354
Triples 116 72
Home Runs 65 512
RBI 983 1,453
Walks 426 1,444
Strikeouts 266 1,487
Stolen Bases 194 68
Batting Avg .294 .271
On-Base % .343 .376
Slugging % .409 .509
OPS .752 .885

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Mathews outpaces Jimmy Collins 45,555 to 13,677 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,531 vs 855 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jimmy Collins
13,677
Career PIV · 855 per season (16 seasons)
Eddie Mathews
45,555
Career PIV · 2,531 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Jimmy Collins — top 3 seasons by OPS

1897.882 OPS6 HR, 132 RBI, .346 avg
1901.869 OPS6 HR, 94 RBI, .332 avg
1898.856 OPS15 HR, 111 RBI, .328 avg

Eddie Mathews — top 3 seasons by OPS

19531.033 OPS47 HR, 135 RBI, .302 avg
19541.026 OPS40 HR, 103 RBI, .290 avg
19551.014 OPS41 HR, 101 RBI, .289 avg

Verdict

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

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