Barry Larkin vs Joe Sewell: Career Stats Comparison

Barry Larkin (1986–2004) and Joe Sewell (1920–1933) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Barry Larkin finished with 2,340 hits and 198 home runs; Joe Sewell finished with 2,226 hits and 49 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Barry Larkin

Hitter · 1986–2004
Games
2,180
Hits
2,340
Home Runs
198
RBI
960
Avg
.295
OPS
.815
View Barry Larkin's full profile →

Joe Sewell

Hitter · 1920–1933
Games
1,903
Hits
2,226
Home Runs
49
RBI
1,055
Avg
.312
OPS
.804
View Joe Sewell's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Barry Larkin Joe Sewell
Games 2,180 1,903
At-Bats 7,937 7,132
Runs 1,329 1,141
Hits 2,340 2,226
Doubles 441 436
Triples 76 68
Home Runs 198 49
RBI 960 1,055
Walks 939 842
Strikeouts 817 114
Stolen Bases 379 74
Batting Avg .295 .312
On-Base % .371 .391
Slugging % .444 .413
OPS .815 .804

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Larkin leads Joe Sewell 17,788 to 15,785 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (936 vs 1,128 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Barry Larkin
17,788
Career PIV · 936 per season (19 seasons)
Joe Sewell
15,785
Career PIV · 1,128 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).

Barry Larkin — top 3 seasons by OPS

1996.977 OPS33 HR, 89 RBI, .298 avg
1998.901 OPS17 HR, 72 RBI, .309 avg
1995.886 OPS15 HR, 66 RBI, .319 avg

Joe Sewell — top 3 seasons by OPS

1923.935 OPS3 HR, 109 RBI, .353 avg
1921.856 OPS4 HR, 93 RBI, .318 avg
1926.832 OPS4 HR, 85 RBI, .324 avg

Verdict

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

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