Luke Appling vs Barry Larkin: Career Stats Comparison
Luke Appling has the better career line of the two, leading 8 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; Barry Larkin played 1986–2004 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 Barry Larkin (1986–2004) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Luke Appling finished with 2,749 hits and 45 home runs; Barry Larkin finished with 2,340 hits and 198 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Barry Larkin, with 198 to Luke Appling's 45.
- Who had the higher OPS? Barry Larkin, with .815 to Luke Appling's .798.
- Who had the higher batting average? Luke Appling, with .310 to Barry Larkin's .295.
- Who had more hits? Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Barry Larkin's 2,340.
- Who drove in more runs? Luke Appling, with 1,116 to Barry Larkin's 960.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Luke Appling, with 25,114 career PIV to Barry Larkin's 17,788.
- Who won more championships? Barry Larkin, with 1 World Series title to Luke Appling's 0.
Luke Appling
Barry Larkin
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Luke Appling and Barry Larkin. 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 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Luke Appling | Barry Larkin |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,422 | 2,180 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,856 | 7,937 |
| Runs | 1,319 | Leads: 1,329 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,749 | 2,340 |
| Doubles | 440 | Leads: 441 |
| Triples | Leads: 102 | 76 |
| Home Runs | 45 | Leads: 198 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,116 | 960 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,302 | 939 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 528 | 817 |
| Stolen Bases | 179 | Leads: 379 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .310 | .295 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .399 | .371 |
| Slugging % | .398 | Leads: .444 |
| OPS | .798 | Leads: .815 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Luke Appling outpaces Barry Larkin 25,114 to 17,788 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,256 PIV per season to 936, 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
Barry Larkin — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Luke Appling leads in hits, RBI, batting average, and OBP, while Barry Larkin owns home runs, runs, and stolen bases. 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 Barry Larkin careers compare
No season is shared: Luke Appling played 1930–1950, Barry Larkin 1986–2004. The two careers are close in length, 2,422 games for Luke Appling and 2,180 for Barry Larkin across 20 and 19 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Luke Appling walked more often than struck out (1,302 walks, 528 strikeouts), and Barry Larkin walked more often than struck out (939 walks, 817 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Barry Larkin's hits: 45 of 2,749 for Luke Appling, 198 of 2,340 for Barry Larkin. Barry Larkin was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Barry Larkin's slugging percentage of .444 tops Luke Appling's .398.
Luke Appling vs Barry Larkin: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Luke Appling or Barry Larkin?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Luke Appling leads Barry Larkin in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Luke Appling or Barry Larkin hit more home runs?
- Barry Larkin, with 198 to Luke Appling's 45.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Barry Larkin, with .815 to Luke Appling's .798.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Luke Appling, with .310 to Barry Larkin's .295.
- Who had more hits?
- Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Barry Larkin's 2,340.