Elmer Flick vs Shoeless Joe Jackson: Career Stats Comparison

Elmer Flick (1898–1910) and Shoeless Joe Jackson (1908–1920) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1900s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Elmer Flick finished with 1,752 hits and 48 home runs; Shoeless Joe Jackson finished with 1,772 hits and 54 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Elmer Flick

Hitter · 1898–1910
Games
1,483
Hits
1,752
Home Runs
48
RBI
756
Avg
.313
OPS
.834
View Elmer Flick's full profile →

Shoeless Joe Jackson

Hitter · 1908–1920
Games
1,332
Hits
1,772
Home Runs
54
RBI
785
Avg
.356
OPS
.940
View Shoeless Joe Jackson's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Elmer Flick and Shoeless Joe Jackson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Elmer Flick Shoeless Joe Jackson
Games 1,483 1,332
At-Bats 5,597 4,981
Runs 950 873
Hits 1,752 1,772
Doubles 268 307
Triples 164 168
Home Runs 48 54
RBI 756 785
Walks 597 519
Strikeouts 567 233
Stolen Bases 330 202
Batting Avg .313 .356
On-Base % .389 .423
Slugging % .445 .517
OPS .834 .940

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Shoeless Joe Jackson leads Elmer Flick 38,698 to 29,192 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,764 vs 2,085 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Elmer Flick
29,192
Career PIV · 2,085 per season (14 seasons)
Shoeless Joe Jackson
38,698
Career PIV · 2,764 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Elmer Flick — top 3 seasons by OPS

1900.986 OPS11 HR, 110 RBI, .367 avg
1901.899 OPS8 HR, 88 RBI, .333 avg
1898.878 OPS8 HR, 81 RBI, .302 avg

Shoeless Joe Jackson — top 3 seasons by OPS

19111.058 OPS7 HR, 83 RBI, .408 avg
19121.036 OPS3 HR, 90 RBI, .395 avg
19201.033 OPS12 HR, 121 RBI, .382 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Shoeless Joe Jackson leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average, while Elmer Flick owns runs and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Shoeless Joe Jackson. PIV agrees: Shoeless Joe Jackson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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