Gavvy Cravath vs Tris Speaker: Career Stats Comparison

Gavvy Cravath (1908–1920) and Tris Speaker (1907–1928) — both broke in during the 1900s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Gavvy Cravath finished with 1,134 hits and 119 home runs; Tris Speaker finished with 3,514 hits and 117 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Gavvy Cravath

Hitter · 1908–1920
Games
1,220
Hits
1,134
Home Runs
119
RBI
719
Avg
.287
OPS
.858
View Gavvy Cravath's full profile →

Tris Speaker

Hitter · 1907–1928
Games
2,789
Hits
3,514
Home Runs
117
RBI
1,529
Avg
.345
OPS
.928
View Tris Speaker's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Gavvy Cravath and Tris Speaker. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Gavvy Cravath Tris Speaker
Games 1,220 2,789
At-Bats 3,951 10,195
Runs 575 1,882
Hits 1,134 3,514
Doubles 232 792
Triples 83 222
Home Runs 119 117
RBI 719 1,529
Walks 561 1,381
Strikeouts 578 393
Stolen Bases 89 432
Batting Avg .287 .345
On-Base % .380 .428
Slugging % .478 .500
OPS .858 .928

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tris Speaker outpaces Gavvy Cravath 73,242 to 23,467 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,329 vs 1,956 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Gavvy Cravath
23,467
Career PIV · 1,956 per season (12 seasons)
Tris Speaker
73,242
Career PIV · 3,329 per season (22 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Gavvy Cravath — top 3 seasons by OPS

1913.974 OPS19 HR, 128 RBI, .341 avg
1915.902 OPS24 HR, 115 RBI, .285 avg
1914.901 OPS19 HR, 100 RBI, .299 avg

Tris Speaker — top 3 seasons by OPS

19221.080 OPS11 HR, 71 RBI, .378 avg
19231.079 OPS17 HR, 130 RBI, .380 avg
19251.057 OPS12 HR, 87 RBI, .389 avg

Verdict

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

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