Sam Crawford vs Elmer Flick: Career Stats Comparison
Sam Crawford (1899–1917) and Elmer Flick (1898–1910) — both broke in during the 1890s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Sam Crawford finished with 2,961 hits and 97 home runs; Elmer Flick finished with 1,752 hits and 48 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Sam Crawford
Elmer Flick
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Sam Crawford and Elmer Flick. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Sam Crawford | Elmer Flick |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,517 | 1,483 |
| At-Bats | 9,570 | 5,597 |
| Runs | 1,391 | 950 |
| Hits | 2,961 | 1,752 |
| Doubles | 458 | 268 |
| Triples | 309 | 164 |
| Home Runs | 97 | 48 |
| RBI | 1,519 | 756 |
| Walks | 760 | 597 |
| Strikeouts | 580 | 567 |
| Stolen Bases | 366 | 330 |
| Batting Avg | .309 | .313 |
| On-Base % | .362 | .389 |
| Slugging % | .452 | .445 |
| OPS | .814 | .834 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Crawford outpaces Elmer Flick 41,381 to 29,192 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,178 vs 2,085 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).
Sam Crawford — top 3 seasons by OPS
Elmer Flick — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Sam Crawford leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Elmer Flick owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Sam Crawford. PIV agrees: Sam Crawford grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.