Earl Averill vs Babe Herman: Career Stats Comparison
Earl Averill has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Earl Averill played 1929–1941 as a hitter; Babe Herman played 1926–1945 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
Earl Averill (1929–1941) and Babe Herman (1926–1945) — both broke in during the 1920s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Earl Averill finished with 2,019 hits and 238 home runs; Babe Herman finished with 1,818 hits and 181 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Earl Averill, with 238 to Babe Herman's 181.
- Who had the higher OPS? Earl Averill, with .928 to Babe Herman's .915.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Herman, with .324 to Earl Averill's .318.
- Who had more hits? Earl Averill, with 2,019 to Babe Herman's 1,818.
- Who drove in more runs? Earl Averill, with 1,164 to Babe Herman's 997.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Earl Averill, with 33,953 career PIV to Babe Herman's 25,837.
Earl Averill
Babe Herman
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Earl Averill and Babe Herman. 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 | Earl Averill | Babe Herman |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,668 | 1,552 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 6,353 | 5,603 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,224 | 882 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,019 | 1,818 |
| Doubles | Leads: 401 | 399 |
| Triples | Leads: 128 | 110 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 238 | 181 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,164 | 997 |
| Walks | Leads: 774 | 520 |
| Strikeouts | 518 | 553 |
| Stolen Bases | 70 | Leads: 94 |
| Batting Avg | .318 | Leads: .324 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .395 | .383 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .534 | .532 |
| OPS | Leads: .928 | .915 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Earl Averill leads Babe Herman 33,953 to 25,837 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,425 vs 1,845 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).
Earl Averill — top 3 seasons by OPS
Babe Herman — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Earl Averill leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Babe Herman owns stolen bases and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Earl Averill. PIV agrees: Earl Averill grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Earl Averill vs Babe Herman: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Earl Averill or Babe Herman?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Earl Averill leads Babe Herman in 12 of 14 categories.
- Did Earl Averill or Babe Herman hit more home runs?
- Earl Averill, with 238 to Babe Herman's 181.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Earl Averill, with .928 to Babe Herman's .915.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Herman, with .324 to Earl Averill's .318.
- Who had more hits?
- Earl Averill, with 2,019 to Babe Herman's 1,818.