Henry Larkin vs Sam Thompson: Career Stats Comparison
Henry Larkin (1884–1893) and Sam Thompson (1885–1906) — both broke in during the 1880s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Henry Larkin finished with 1,429 hits and 53 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.
Henry Larkin
Sam Thompson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Henry Larkin 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 | Henry Larkin | Sam Thompson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,184 | 1,410 |
| At-Bats | 4,718 | 5,998 |
| Runs | 925 | 1,261 |
| Hits | 1,429 | 1,988 |
| Doubles | 259 | 343 |
| Triples | 114 | 161 |
| Home Runs | 53 | 126 |
| RBI | 836 | 1,308 |
| Walks | 484 | 452 |
| Strikeouts | 182 | 234 |
| Stolen Bases | 129 | 232 |
| Batting Avg | .303 | .331 |
| On-Base % | .380 | .384 |
| Slugging % | .440 | .505 |
| OPS | .820 | .890 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sam Thompson outpaces Henry Larkin 29,910 to 21,776 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,994 vs 2,178 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).
Henry Larkin — top 3 seasons by OPS
Sam Thompson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Sam Thompson leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Henry Larkin owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Sam Thompson. PIV agrees: Sam Thompson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.