Sam Crawford vs Billy Hamilton: Career Stats Comparison
Sam Crawford has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Sam Crawford played 1899–1917 as a hitter; Billy Hamilton played 1888–1901 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 Billy Hamilton (1888–1901) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1880s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Sam Crawford finished with 2,961 hits and 97 home runs; Billy Hamilton finished with 2,164 hits and 40 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 Billy Hamilton's 40.
- Who had the higher OPS? Billy Hamilton, with .888 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average? Billy Hamilton, with .344 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits? Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Billy Hamilton's 2,164.
- Who drove in more runs? Sam Crawford, with 1,519 to Billy Hamilton's 742.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Sam Crawford, with 41,381 career PIV to Billy Hamilton's 38,004.
Sam Crawford
Billy Hamilton
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Sam Crawford and Billy Hamilton. 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 | Billy Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,517 | 1,594 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,570 | 6,283 |
| Runs | 1,391 | Leads: 1,697 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,961 | 2,164 |
| Doubles | Leads: 458 | 242 |
| Triples | Leads: 309 | 95 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 97 | 40 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,519 | 742 |
| Walks | 760 | Leads: 1,189 |
| Strikeouts | 580 | 362 |
| Stolen Bases | 366 | Leads: 914 |
| Batting Avg | .309 | Leads: .344 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .455 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .452 | .432 |
| OPS | .814 | Leads: .888 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Crawford leads Billy Hamilton 41,381 to 38,004 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,178 vs 2,715 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
Billy Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy Hamilton leads in runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Sam Crawford owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Billy Hamilton. Note that PIV actually grades Sam Crawford ahead, which means Billy Hamilton's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Sam Crawford vs Billy Hamilton: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Sam Crawford or Billy Hamilton?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Sam Crawford leads Billy Hamilton in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Sam Crawford or Billy Hamilton hit more home runs?
- Sam Crawford, with 97 to Billy Hamilton's 40.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Billy Hamilton, with .888 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Billy Hamilton, with .344 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits?
- Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Billy Hamilton's 2,164.