Tip O'Neill vs Mike Tiernan: Career Stats Comparison

Tip O'Neill (1883–1892) and Mike Tiernan (1887–1899) — both broke in during the 1880s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Tip O'Neill finished with 1,385 hits and 52 home runs; Mike Tiernan finished with 1,838 hits and 106 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Tip O'Neill

Hitter · 1883–1892
Games
1,052
Hits
1,385
Home Runs
52
RBI
757
Avg
.326
OPS
.851
View Tip O'Neill's full profile →

Mike Tiernan

Hitter · 1887–1899
Games
1,478
Hits
1,838
Home Runs
106
RBI
853
Avg
.311
OPS
.855
View Mike Tiernan's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Tip O'Neill and Mike Tiernan. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Tip O'Neill Mike Tiernan
Games 1,052 1,478
At-Bats 4,248 5,915
Runs 879 1,316
Hits 1,385 1,838
Doubles 222 257
Triples 92 162
Home Runs 52 106
RBI 757 853
Walks 420 748
Strikeouts 194 376
Stolen Bases 161 428
Batting Avg .326 .311
On-Base % .392 .392
Slugging % .458 .463
OPS .851 .855

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mike Tiernan edges Tip O'Neill 24,956 to 23,461 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,920 vs 2,346 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Tip O'Neill
23,461
Career PIV · 2,346 per season (10 seasons)
Mike Tiernan
24,956
Career PIV · 1,920 per season (13 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Tip O'Neill — top 3 seasons by OPS

18871.180 OPS14 HR, 123 RBI, .435 avg
1889.897 OPS9 HR, 110 RBI, .335 avg
1891.855 OPS10 HR, 95 RBI, .323 avg

Mike Tiernan — top 3 seasons by OPS

1896.968 OPS7 HR, 89 RBI, .369 avg
1895.955 OPS7 HR, 70 RBI, .347 avg
1889.944 OPS10 HR, 73 RBI, .335 avg

Verdict

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

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