Luke Appling vs Lloyd Waner: Career Stats Comparison
Luke Appling has the better career line of the two, leading 12 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; Lloyd Waner played 1927–1945 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 Lloyd Waner (1927–1945) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Luke Appling finished with 2,749 hits and 45 home runs; Lloyd Waner finished with 2,459 hits and 27 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Luke Appling, with 45 to Lloyd Waner's 27.
- Who had the higher OPS? Luke Appling, with .798 to Lloyd Waner's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average? Lloyd Waner, with .316 to Luke Appling's .310.
- Who had more hits? Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Lloyd Waner's 2,459.
- Who drove in more runs? Luke Appling, with 1,116 to Lloyd Waner's 598.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Luke Appling, with 25,114 career PIV to Lloyd Waner's 3,101.
Luke Appling
Lloyd Waner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Luke Appling and Lloyd Waner. 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 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Luke Appling | Lloyd Waner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,422 | 1,993 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,856 | 7,772 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,319 | 1,201 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,749 | 2,459 |
| Doubles | Leads: 440 | 281 |
| Triples | 102 | Leads: 118 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 45 | 27 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,116 | 598 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,302 | 420 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 528 | 173 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 179 | 67 |
| Batting Avg | .310 | Leads: .316 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .399 | .353 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .398 | .393 |
| OPS | Leads: .798 | .747 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Luke Appling outpaces Lloyd Waner 25,114 to 3,101 — driven by per-season impact — 1,256 PIV per season to 148 — rather than by longevity, since Luke Appling played 20 seasons to Lloyd Waner's 21. 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
Lloyd Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Luke Appling leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Lloyd Waner owns batting average. 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 Lloyd Waner careers compare
The careers of Luke Appling (1930–1950) and Lloyd Waner (1927–1945) overlapped from 1930 to 1945, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,422 games for Luke Appling and 1,993 for Lloyd Waner across 20 and 21 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Lloyd Waner are triples (118 to 102) and batting average (.316 to .310). At the plate, Luke Appling walked more often than struck out (1,302 walks, 528 strikeouts), and Lloyd Waner walked more often than struck out (420 walks, 173 strikeouts).
Luke Appling vs Lloyd Waner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Luke Appling or Lloyd Waner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Luke Appling leads Lloyd Waner in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Luke Appling or Lloyd Waner hit more home runs?
- Luke Appling, with 45 to Lloyd Waner's 27.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Luke Appling, with .798 to Lloyd Waner's .747.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Lloyd Waner, with .316 to Luke Appling's .310.
- Who had more hits?
- Luke Appling, with 2,749 to Lloyd Waner's 2,459.