Home Run Baker vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner has the better career line of the two, leading 14 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; Honus Wagner played 1897–1917 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 Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Home Run Baker finished with 1,838 hits and 96 home runs; Honus Wagner finished with 3,420 hits and 101 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Honus Wagner, with 101 to Home Run Baker's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS? Honus Wagner, with .858 to Home Run Baker's .805.
- Who had the higher batting average? Honus Wagner, with .328 to Home Run Baker's .307.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Home Run Baker's 1,838.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Home Run Baker's 987.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to Home Run Baker's 22,634.
- Who won more championships? Home Run Baker, with 3 World Series titles to Honus Wagner's 1.
Home Run Baker
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Home Run Baker and Honus Wagner. 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 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Home Run Baker | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,575 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 5,984 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 887 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 1,838 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 315 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 103 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | 96 | Leads: 101 |
| RBI | 987 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | 473 | Leads: 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 344 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 235 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | .307 | Leads: .328 |
| On-Base % | .363 | Leads: .391 |
| Slugging % | .442 | Leads: .467 |
| OPS | .805 | Leads: .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Home Run Baker 59,177 to 22,634 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 1,741, across 21 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
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Home Run Baker owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Honus Wagner. PIV agrees: Honus Wagner 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 Honus Wagner careers compare
Home Run Baker and Honus Wagner were active at the same time between 1908 and 1917. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Home Run Baker appeared in 1,575 games to Honus Wagner's 2,794. Honus Wagner leads every scored row of the table. Home Run Baker walked more often than struck out (473 walks, 344 strikeouts); Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). Home Run Baker is the more power-leaning hitter, with 96 of 1,838 hits leaving the park. Honus Wagner was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Honus Wagner's slugging percentage of .467 tops Home Run Baker's .442.
Home Run Baker vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Home Run Baker or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads Home Run Baker in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Home Run Baker or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Honus Wagner, with 101 to Home Run Baker's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Honus Wagner, with .858 to Home Run Baker's .805.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Honus Wagner, with .328 to Home Run Baker's .307.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Home Run Baker's 1,838.