Earl Averill vs Billy Herman: Career Stats Comparison
Earl Averill 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). Earl Averill played 1929–1941 as a hitter; Billy Herman played 1931–1947 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 Billy Herman (1931–1947) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Earl Averill finished with 2,019 hits and 238 home runs; Billy Herman finished with 2,345 hits and 47 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 Billy Herman's 47.
- Who had the higher OPS? Earl Averill, with .928 to Billy Herman's .774.
- Who had the higher batting average? Earl Averill, with .318 to Billy Herman's .304.
- Who had more hits? Billy Herman, with 2,345 to Earl Averill's 2,019.
- Who drove in more runs? Earl Averill, with 1,164 to Billy Herman's 839.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Earl Averill, with 33,953 career PIV to Billy Herman's 12,844.
Earl Averill
Billy Herman
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Earl Averill and Billy Herman. 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 1920s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Earl Averill | Billy Herman |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,668 | Leads: 1,922 |
| At-Bats | 6,353 | Leads: 7,707 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,224 | 1,163 |
| Hits | 2,019 | Leads: 2,345 |
| Doubles | 401 | Leads: 486 |
| Triples | Leads: 128 | 82 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 238 | 47 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,164 | 839 |
| Walks | Leads: 774 | 737 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 518 | 428 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 70 | 67 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .318 | .304 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .395 | .367 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .534 | .407 |
| OPS | Leads: .928 | .774 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Earl Averill outpaces Billy Herman 33,953 to 12,844 — driven by per-season impact — 2,425 PIV per season to 756 — rather than by longevity, since Earl Averill played 14 seasons to Billy Herman's 17. 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).
Earl Averill — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Herman — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Earl Averill leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Billy Herman owns hits. 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
How the Earl Averill and Billy Herman careers compare
Earl Averill and Billy Herman were active at the same time between 1931 and 1941. With 1,668 games against 1,922 across 14 and 17 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Billy Herman are games (1,922 to 1,668), at-bats (7,707 to 6,353), and hits (2,345 to 2,019). At the plate, Earl Averill walked more often than struck out (774 walks, 518 strikeouts), and Billy Herman walked more often than struck out (737 walks, 428 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Earl Averill's hits: 238 of 2,019 for Earl Averill, 47 of 2,345 for Billy Herman.
Earl Averill vs Billy Herman: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Earl Averill or Billy Herman?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Earl Averill leads Billy Herman in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Earl Averill or Billy Herman hit more home runs?
- Earl Averill, with 238 to Billy Herman's 47.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Earl Averill, with .928 to Billy Herman's .774.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Earl Averill, with .318 to Billy Herman's .304.
- Who had more hits?
- Billy Herman, with 2,345 to Earl Averill's 2,019.