Earle Combs vs Al Simmons: Career Stats Comparison
Earle Combs (1924–1935) and Al Simmons (1924–1944) — both broke in during the 1920s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Earle Combs finished with 1,866 hits and 58 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.
Earle Combs
Al Simmons
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Earle Combs 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 | Earle Combs | Al Simmons |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | 2,215 |
| At-Bats | 5,746 | 8,759 |
| Runs | 1,186 | 1,507 |
| Hits | 1,866 | 2,927 |
| Doubles | 309 | 539 |
| Triples | 154 | 149 |
| Home Runs | 58 | 307 |
| RBI | 632 | 1,827 |
| Walks | 670 | 615 |
| Strikeouts | 278 | 737 |
| Stolen Bases | 96 | 88 |
| Batting Avg | .325 | .334 |
| On-Base % | .397 | .380 |
| Slugging % | .462 | .535 |
| OPS | .859 | .915 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Simmons outpaces Earle Combs 40,529 to 19,222 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,930 vs 1,602 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).
Earle Combs — top 3 seasons by OPS
Al Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Al Simmons leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Earle Combs owns stolen bases and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Al Simmons. PIV agrees: Al Simmons grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.