Willie Keeler vs Sam Thompson: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Keeler has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Willie Keeler played 1892–1910 as a hitter; Sam Thompson played 1885–1906 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
Willie Keeler (1892–1910) and Sam Thompson (1885–1906) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1880s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willie Keeler finished with 2,932 hits and 33 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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Sam Thompson, with 126 to Willie Keeler's 33.
- Who had the higher OPS? Sam Thompson, with .890 to Willie Keeler's .802.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Keeler, with .341 to Sam Thompson's .331.
- Who had more hits? Willie Keeler, with 2,932 to Sam Thompson's 1,988.
- Who drove in more runs? Sam Thompson, with 1,308 to Willie Keeler's 810.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Sam Thompson, with 29,910 career PIV to Willie Keeler's 29,044.
- Who won more championships? Sam Thompson, with 1 World Series title to Willie Keeler's 0.
Willie Keeler
Sam Thompson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willie Keeler and Sam Thompson. 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 | Willie Keeler | Sam Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,123 | 1,410 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,591 | 5,998 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,719 | 1,261 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,932 | 1,988 |
| Doubles | 241 | Leads: 343 |
| Triples | 145 | Leads: 161 |
| Home Runs | 33 | Leads: 126 |
| RBI | 810 | Leads: 1,308 |
| Walks | Leads: 524 | 452 |
| Strikeouts | 136 | 234 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 495 | 232 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .341 | .331 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .388 | .384 |
| Slugging % | .415 | Leads: .505 |
| OPS | .802 | Leads: .890 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Thompson edges Willie Keeler 29,910 to 29,044 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,994 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).
Willie Keeler — top 3 seasons by OPS
Sam Thompson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Keeler 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 Willie Keeler. Note that PIV actually grades Sam Thompson ahead, which means Willie Keeler's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Willie Keeler vs Sam Thompson: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willie Keeler or Sam Thompson?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Keeler leads Sam Thompson in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Willie Keeler or Sam Thompson hit more home runs?
- Sam Thompson, with 126 to Willie Keeler's 33.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Sam Thompson, with .890 to Willie Keeler's .802.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Keeler, with .341 to Sam Thompson's .331.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Keeler, with 2,932 to Sam Thompson's 1,988.