Home Run Baker vs Eddie Mathews: Career Stats Comparison
Eddie Mathews has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Home Run Baker played 1908–1922 as a hitter; Eddie Mathews played 1952–1968 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
Home Run Baker (1908–1922) and Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Home Run Baker finished with 1,838 hits and 96 home runs; Eddie Mathews finished with 2,315 hits and 512 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Eddie Mathews, with 512 to Home Run Baker's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS? Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Home Run Baker's .805.
- Who had the higher batting average? Home Run Baker, with .307 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits? Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Home Run Baker's 1,838.
- Who drove in more runs? Eddie Mathews, with 1,453 to Home Run Baker's 987.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Eddie Mathews, with 45,555 career PIV to Home Run Baker's 22,634.
- Who won more championships? Home Run Baker, with 3 World Series titles to Eddie Mathews's 2.
Home Run Baker
Eddie Mathews
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Home Run Baker and Eddie Mathews. 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 1900s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Home Run Baker | Eddie Mathews |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,575 | Leads: 2,391 |
| At-Bats | 5,984 | Leads: 8,537 |
| Runs | 887 | Leads: 1,509 |
| Hits | 1,838 | Leads: 2,315 |
| Doubles | 315 | Leads: 354 |
| Triples | Leads: 103 | 72 |
| Home Runs | 96 | Leads: 512 |
| RBI | 987 | Leads: 1,453 |
| Walks | 473 | Leads: 1,444 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 344 | 1,487 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 235 | 68 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .307 | .271 |
| On-Base % | .363 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | .442 | Leads: .509 |
| OPS | .805 | Leads: .885 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Mathews outpaces Home Run Baker 45,555 to 22,634 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,531 PIV per season to 1,741, across 18 seasons to 13. 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).
Home Run Baker — top 3 seasons by OPS
Eddie Mathews — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Eddie Mathews leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Home Run Baker owns stolen bases and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Eddie Mathews. PIV agrees: Eddie Mathews grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Home Run Baker and Eddie Mathews careers compare
Home Run Baker (1908–1922) was finished before Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) arrived, so they never shared a league. The table compares 1,575 games of Home Run Baker with 2,391 of Eddie Mathews across 13 and 18 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Home Run Baker are triples (103 to 72), stolen bases (235 to 68), and batting average (.307 to .271). At the plate, Home Run Baker walked more often than struck out (473 walks, 344 strikeouts), while Eddie Mathews struck out more than walked (1,487 to 1,444).
Home Run Baker vs Eddie Mathews: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Home Run Baker or Eddie Mathews?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Eddie Mathews leads Home Run Baker in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Home Run Baker or Eddie Mathews hit more home runs?
- Eddie Mathews, with 512 to Home Run Baker's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Home Run Baker's .805.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Home Run Baker, with .307 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits?
- Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Home Run Baker's 1,838.