King Kelly vs Tommy McCarthy: Career Stats Comparison
King Kelly has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). King Kelly played 1878–1893 as a hitter; Tommy McCarthy played 1884–1896 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
King Kelly (1878–1893) and Tommy McCarthy (1884–1896) — they broke in during the 1870s and the 1880s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. King Kelly finished with 1,813 hits and 69 home runs; Tommy McCarthy finished with 1,493 hits and 44 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? King Kelly, with 69 to Tommy McCarthy's 44.
- Who had the higher OPS? King Kelly, with .806 to Tommy McCarthy's .740.
- Who had the higher batting average? King Kelly, with .307 to Tommy McCarthy's .292.
- Who had more hits? King Kelly, with 1,813 to Tommy McCarthy's 1,493.
- Who drove in more runs? King Kelly, with 950 to Tommy McCarthy's 732.
- Who has the higher career PIV? King Kelly, with 27,425 career PIV to Tommy McCarthy's 8,126.
Tommy McCarthy
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for King Kelly and Tommy McCarthy. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1870s and the 1880s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | King Kelly | Tommy McCarthy |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,456 | 1,273 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 5,896 | 5,120 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,357 | 1,066 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,813 | 1,493 |
| Doubles | Leads: 359 | 191 |
| Triples | Leads: 102 | 53 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 69 | 44 |
| RBI | Leads: 950 | 732 |
| Walks | Leads: 549 | 536 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 418 | 185 |
| Stolen Bases | 368 | Leads: 468 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .307 | .292 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .368 | .364 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .438 | .375 |
| OPS | Leads: .806 | .740 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), King Kelly outpaces Tommy McCarthy 27,425 to 8,126 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,524 PIV per season to 625, across 18 seasons to 13. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
King Kelly — top 3 seasons by OPS
Tommy McCarthy — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, King Kelly leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Tommy McCarthy owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to King Kelly. PIV agrees: King Kelly grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the King Kelly and Tommy McCarthy careers compare
From 1884 through 1893, King Kelly and Tommy McCarthy were in the majors together. The two careers are close in length, 1,456 games for King Kelly and 1,273 for Tommy McCarthy across 18 and 13 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Tommy McCarthy are stolen bases (468 to 368). At the plate, King Kelly walked more often than struck out (549 walks, 418 strikeouts), and Tommy McCarthy walked more often than struck out (536 walks, 185 strikeouts). Tommy McCarthy was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
King Kelly vs Tommy McCarthy: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, King Kelly or Tommy McCarthy?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, King Kelly leads Tommy McCarthy in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did King Kelly or Tommy McCarthy hit more home runs?
- King Kelly, with 69 to Tommy McCarthy's 44.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- King Kelly, with .806 to Tommy McCarthy's .740.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- King Kelly, with .307 to Tommy McCarthy's .292.
- Who had more hits?
- King Kelly, with 1,813 to Tommy McCarthy's 1,493.