Luke Appling vs Yogi Berra: Career Stats Comparison
Luke Appling has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Luke Appling played 1930–1950 as a hitter; Yogi Berra played 1946–1965 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
Luke Appling (1930–1950) and Yogi Berra (1946–1965) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Luke Appling finished with 2,749 hits and 45 home runs; Yogi Berra finished with 2,150 hits and 358 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Yogi Berra, with 358 to Luke Appling's 45.
- Who had the higher OPS? Yogi Berra, with .830 to Luke Appling's .798.
- Who had the higher batting average? Luke Appling, with .310 to Yogi Berra's .285.
- Who had more hits? Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Yogi Berra's 2,150.
- Who drove in more runs? Yogi Berra, with 1,430 to Luke Appling's 1,116.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Luke Appling, with 25,114 career PIV to Yogi Berra's 21,371.
- Who won more championships? Yogi Berra, with 10 World Series titles to Luke Appling's 0.
Luke Appling
Yogi Berra
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Luke Appling and Yogi Berra. 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 1930s and the 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Luke Appling | Yogi Berra |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,422 | 2,120 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,856 | 7,555 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,319 | 1,175 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,749 | 2,150 |
| Doubles | Leads: 440 | 321 |
| Triples | Leads: 102 | 49 |
| Home Runs | 45 | Leads: 358 |
| RBI | 1,116 | Leads: 1,430 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,302 | 704 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 528 | 414 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 179 | 30 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .310 | .285 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .399 | .348 |
| Slugging % | .398 | Leads: .482 |
| OPS | .798 | Leads: .830 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Luke Appling leads Yogi Berra 25,114 to 21,371 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,256 PIV per season to 1,125, across 20 seasons to 19. 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).
Luke Appling — top 3 seasons by OPS
Yogi Berra — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Luke Appling leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Yogi Berra owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Luke Appling. PIV agrees: Luke Appling grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Luke Appling and Yogi Berra careers compare
From 1946 through 1950, Luke Appling and Yogi Berra were in the majors together. The two careers are close in length, 2,422 games for Luke Appling and 2,120 for Yogi Berra across 20 and 19 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Yogi Berra's edges on the table are home runs (358 to 45), RBI (1,430 to 1,116), and slugging percentage (.482 to .398). Luke Appling walked more often than struck out (1,302 walks, 528 strikeouts); Yogi Berra walked more often than struck out (704 walks, 414 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Yogi Berra's hits: 45 of 2,749 for Luke Appling, 358 of 2,150 for Yogi Berra.
Luke Appling vs Yogi Berra: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Luke Appling or Yogi Berra?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Luke Appling leads Yogi Berra in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Luke Appling or Yogi Berra hit more home runs?
- Yogi Berra, with 358 to Luke Appling's 45.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Yogi Berra, with .830 to Luke Appling's .798.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Luke Appling, with .310 to Yogi Berra's .285.
- Who had more hits?
- Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Yogi Berra's 2,150.