You'd think that many of the 25 hitters in the club would have had fairly stable careers, but only five of them played for a single franchise: Met Ott (New York Giants), Ted Williams (Red Sox), Mickey Mantle (Yankees), Ernie Banks (Cubs) and Mike Schmidt (Phillies).

The number of monogamous players in the 3,000 Hits Club is substantially higher: nine of 27. Stan Musial (Cardinals), Roberto Clemente (Pirates), Al Kaline (Tigers), Carl Yastrzemski (Red Sox), Robin Yount (Brewers), George Brett (Royals), Tony Gwynn (Padres), Cal Ripken Jr. (Orioles) and Craig Biggio (Astros).

Honus Wagner missed the distinction purely on a technicality. His first team, the Louisville Colonels, vanished when the National League contracted it and three other teams out of existence after the 1899 season. The Colonels' owner promptly bought into the Pirates' franchise and took several players, including Wagner, to Pittsburgh with him.

For some reason, the 3,000 Hits Club has had a lot more stability in recent years than the power hitters have. Four of the five single-teamers hit their 500th by 1971. Only Schmidt came afterward, in 1987. All but one (Musial) of the nine single-team 3,000 guys got their milestone hit from 1972 on. Five of them reached 3,000 in 1992 or later.

The same number of players, 11, joined both clubs since the start of the '90.

The distinction doesn't have one obvious explanation. Perhaps the power hitters aroused more interest in the free-agency market, or teams that brought along spectacularly consistent hitters, such as Gwynn and Yount, were more likely to see them as franchise cornerstones. There could be a personality difference. Home run hitters seem more inclined to play past their prime, precipitating a trade or release. Maybe players who hit primarily for average prefer more steadiness in their lives.

E-mail Gwen Knapp at gknapp@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page D - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle