Sam Crawford vs Harry Heilmann: Career Stats Comparison
Harry Heilmann 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; Harry Heilmann played 1914–1932 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 Harry Heilmann (1914–1932) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Sam Crawford finished with 2,961 hits and 97 home runs; Harry Heilmann finished with 2,660 hits and 183 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Harry Heilmann, with 183 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS? Harry Heilmann, with .930 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average? Harry Heilmann, with .342 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits? Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Harry Heilmann's 2,660.
- Who drove in more runs? Harry Heilmann, with 1,539 to Sam Crawford's 1,519.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Harry Heilmann, with 46,791 career PIV to Sam Crawford's 41,381.
Sam Crawford
Harry Heilmann
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Sam Crawford and Harry Heilmann. 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 | Harry Heilmann |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,517 | 2,148 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,570 | 7,787 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,391 | 1,291 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,961 | 2,660 |
| Doubles | 458 | Leads: 542 |
| Triples | Leads: 309 | 151 |
| Home Runs | 97 | Leads: 183 |
| RBI | 1,519 | Leads: 1,539 |
| Walks | 760 | Leads: 856 |
| Strikeouts | 580 | 550 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 366 | 113 |
| Batting Avg | .309 | Leads: .342 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .410 |
| Slugging % | .452 | Leads: .520 |
| OPS | .814 | Leads: .930 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harry Heilmann leads Sam Crawford 46,791 to 41,381 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,752 vs 2,178 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
Harry Heilmann — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Harry Heilmann leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OBP, while Sam Crawford owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Harry Heilmann. PIV agrees: Harry Heilmann grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Sam Crawford vs Harry Heilmann: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Sam Crawford or Harry Heilmann?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Harry Heilmann leads Sam Crawford in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Sam Crawford or Harry Heilmann hit more home runs?
- Harry Heilmann, with 183 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Harry Heilmann, with .930 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Harry Heilmann, with .342 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits?
- Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Harry Heilmann's 2,660.