Billy Hamilton vs Sam Thompson: Career Stats Comparison
Billy Hamilton (1888–1901) and Sam Thompson (1885–1906) — both broke in during the 1880s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Billy Hamilton finished with 2,164 hits and 40 home runs; Sam Thompson finished with 1,988 hits and 126 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Billy Hamilton
Sam Thompson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Billy Hamilton | Sam Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,594 | 1,410 |
| At-Bats | 6,283 | 5,998 |
| Runs | 1,697 | 1,261 |
| Hits | 2,164 | 1,988 |
| Doubles | 242 | 343 |
| Triples | 95 | 161 |
| Home Runs | 40 | 126 |
| RBI | 742 | 1,308 |
| Walks | 1,189 | 452 |
| Strikeouts | 362 | 234 |
| Stolen Bases | 914 | 232 |
| Batting Avg | .344 | .331 |
| On-Base % | .455 | .384 |
| Slugging % | .432 | .505 |
| OPS | .888 | .890 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Hamilton leads Sam Thompson 38,004 to 29,910 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,715 vs 1,994 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).
Billy Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Sam Thompson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy Hamilton leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Sam Thompson owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Billy Hamilton. PIV agrees: Billy Hamilton grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.