Sam Crawford vs Elmer Flick: Career Stats Comparison
Sam Crawford has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Sam Crawford played 1899–1917 as a hitter; Elmer Flick played 1898–1910 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Sam Crawford, with 97 to Elmer Flick's 48.
- Who had the higher OPS? Elmer Flick, with .834 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average? Elmer Flick, with .313 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits? Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Elmer Flick's 1,752.
- Who drove in more runs? Sam Crawford, with 1,519 to Elmer Flick's 756.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Sam Crawford, with 41,381 career PIV to Elmer Flick's 29,192.
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, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Sam Crawford | Elmer Flick |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,517 | 1,483 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,570 | 5,597 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,391 | 950 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,961 | 1,752 |
| Doubles | Leads: 458 | 268 |
| Triples | Leads: 309 | 164 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 97 | 48 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,519 | 756 |
| Walks | Leads: 760 | 597 |
| Strikeouts | 580 | 567 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 366 | 330 |
| Batting Avg | .309 | Leads: .313 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .389 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .452 | .445 |
| OPS | .814 | Leads: .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.
Related Matchups
Sam Crawford vs Elmer Flick: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Sam Crawford or Elmer Flick?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Sam Crawford leads Elmer Flick in 11 of 14 categories.
- Did Sam Crawford or Elmer Flick hit more home runs?
- Sam Crawford, with 97 to Elmer Flick's 48.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Elmer Flick, with .834 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Elmer Flick, with .313 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits?
- Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Elmer Flick's 1,752.