Sam Crawford vs Babe Ruth: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Sam Crawford played 1899–1917 as a hitter; Babe Ruth played 1914–1935 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 Babe Ruth (1914–1935) — 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; Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Babe Ruth, with 714 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Ruth, with .342 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits? Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Babe Ruth's 2,873.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Sam Crawford's 1,519.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Sam Crawford's 41,381.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Sam Crawford's 0.
Sam Crawford
Babe Ruth
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Sam Crawford and Babe Ruth. 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 | Babe Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,517 | 2,503 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,570 | 8,398 |
| Runs | 1,391 | Leads: 2,174 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,961 | 2,873 |
| Doubles | 458 | Leads: 506 |
| Triples | Leads: 309 | 136 |
| Home Runs | 97 | Leads: 714 |
| RBI | 1,519 | Leads: 2,217 |
| Walks | 760 | Leads: 2,062 |
| Strikeouts | 580 | 1,330 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 366 | 123 |
| Batting Avg | .309 | Leads: .342 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .474 |
| Slugging % | .452 | Leads: .690 |
| OPS | .814 | Leads: 1.164 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Sam Crawford 111,979 to 41,381 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,090 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
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and batting average, while Sam Crawford owns hits and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Sam Crawford vs Babe Ruth: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Sam Crawford or Babe Ruth?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Sam Crawford in 9 of 14 categories.
- Did Sam Crawford or Babe Ruth hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Sam Crawford's 97.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Sam Crawford's .814.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Ruth, with .342 to Sam Crawford's .309.
- Who had more hits?
- Sam Crawford, with 2,961 to Babe Ruth's 2,873.