Sam Crawford vs Willie Keeler: Career Stats Comparison
Sam Crawford (1899–1917) and Willie Keeler (1892–1910) — 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; Willie Keeler finished with 2,932 hits and 33 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Sam Crawford
Willie Keeler
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Sam Crawford and Willie Keeler. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Sam Crawford | Willie Keeler |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,517 | 2,123 |
| At-Bats | 9,570 | 8,591 |
| Runs | 1,391 | 1,719 |
| Hits | 2,961 | 2,932 |
| Doubles | 458 | 241 |
| Triples | 309 | 145 |
| Home Runs | 97 | 33 |
| RBI | 1,519 | 810 |
| Walks | 760 | 524 |
| Strikeouts | 580 | 136 |
| Stolen Bases | 366 | 495 |
| Batting Avg | .309 | .341 |
| On-Base % | .362 | .388 |
| Slugging % | .452 | .415 |
| OPS | .814 | .802 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Crawford outpaces Willie Keeler 41,381 to 29,044 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,178 vs 1,452 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
Willie Keeler — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Sam Crawford leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and OPS, while Willie Keeler owns runs, stolen bases, and batting average. 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.