Luke Appling vs Arky Vaughan: Career Stats Comparison
Luke Appling has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Luke Appling played 1930–1950 as a hitter; Arky Vaughan played 1932–1948 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 Arky Vaughan (1932–1948) — both broke in during the 1930s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Luke Appling finished with 2,749 hits and 45 home runs; Arky Vaughan finished with 2,103 hits and 96 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Arky Vaughan, with 96 to Luke Appling's 45.
- Who had the higher OPS? Arky Vaughan, with .859 to Luke Appling's .798.
- Who had the higher batting average? Arky Vaughan, with .318 to Luke Appling's .310.
- Who had more hits? Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Arky Vaughan's 2,103.
- Who drove in more runs? Luke Appling, with 1,116 to Arky Vaughan's 926.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Arky Vaughan, with 28,350 career PIV to Luke Appling's 25,114.
Luke Appling
Arky Vaughan
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Luke Appling and Arky Vaughan. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Luke Appling | Arky Vaughan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,422 | 1,817 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,856 | 6,622 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,319 | 1,173 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,749 | 2,103 |
| Doubles | Leads: 440 | 356 |
| Triples | 102 | Leads: 128 |
| Home Runs | 45 | Leads: 96 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,116 | 926 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,302 | 937 |
| Strikeouts | 528 | 276 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 179 | 118 |
| Batting Avg | .310 | Leads: .318 |
| On-Base % | .399 | Leads: .406 |
| Slugging % | .398 | Leads: .453 |
| OPS | .798 | Leads: .859 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Arky Vaughan leads Luke Appling 28,350 to 25,114 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,025 vs 1,256 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).
Luke Appling — top 3 seasons by OPS
Arky Vaughan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Arky Vaughan leads in home runs, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Luke Appling owns hits, RBI, and runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Arky Vaughan. PIV agrees: Arky Vaughan grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Luke Appling vs Arky Vaughan: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Luke Appling or Arky Vaughan?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Luke Appling leads Arky Vaughan in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Luke Appling or Arky Vaughan hit more home runs?
- Arky Vaughan, with 96 to Luke Appling's 45.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Arky Vaughan, with .859 to Luke Appling's .798.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Arky Vaughan, with .318 to Luke Appling's .310.
- Who had more hits?
- Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Arky Vaughan's 2,103.