Sam Bankhead vs Pee Wee Reese: Career Stats Comparison
Pee Wee Reese has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Sam Bankhead played ?–1948 as a hitter; Pee Wee Reese played 1940–1958 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
Sam Bankhead (?–1948) and Pee Wee Reese (1940–1958) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Sam Bankhead finished with 702 hits and 19 home runs; Pee Wee Reese finished with 2,170 hits and 126 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Pee Wee Reese, with 126 to Sam Bankhead's 19.
- Who had the higher OPS? Pee Wee Reese, with .743 to Sam Bankhead's .728.
- Who had the higher batting average? Sam Bankhead, with .284 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits? Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Sam Bankhead's 702.
- Who drove in more runs? Pee Wee Reese, with 885 to Sam Bankhead's 354.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Pee Wee Reese, with 10,057 career PIV to Sam Bankhead's 1,589.
- Who won more championships? Sam Bankhead, with 4 World Series titles to Pee Wee Reese's 1.
Pee Wee Reese
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Sam Bankhead and Pee Wee Reese. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Sam Bankhead | Pee Wee Reese |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 652 | Leads: 2,166 |
| At-Bats | 2,472 | Leads: 8,058 |
| Runs | 427 | Leads: 1,338 |
| Hits | 702 | Leads: 2,170 |
| Doubles | 95 | Leads: 330 |
| Triples | 35 | Leads: 80 |
| Home Runs | 19 | Leads: 126 |
| RBI | 354 | Leads: 885 |
| Walks | 255 | Leads: 1,210 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 7 | 890 |
| Stolen Bases | 103 | Leads: 232 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .284 | .269 |
| On-Base % | .354 | Leads: .366 |
| Slugging % | .374 | Leads: .377 |
| OPS | .728 | Leads: .743 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Pee Wee Reese outpaces Sam Bankhead 10,057 to 1,589 — driven by per-season impact — 629 PIV per season to 88 — rather than by longevity, since Pee Wee Reese played 16 seasons to Sam Bankhead's 18. 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).
Sam Bankhead
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Pee Wee Reese — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Pee Wee Reese leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Sam Bankhead owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Pee Wee Reese. PIV agrees: Pee Wee Reese grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Sam Bankhead and Pee Wee Reese careers compare
From 1948 through 1948, Sam Bankhead and Pee Wee Reese were in the majors together. The table compares 652 games of Sam Bankhead with 2,166 of Pee Wee Reese across 18 and 16 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Sam Bankhead are batting average (.284 to .269). Sam Bankhead walked more often than struck out (255 walks, 7 strikeouts); Pee Wee Reese walked more often than struck out (1,210 walks, 890 strikeouts). Pee Wee Reese is the more power-leaning hitter, with 126 of 2,170 hits leaving the park.
Sam Bankhead vs Pee Wee Reese: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Sam Bankhead or Pee Wee Reese?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Pee Wee Reese leads Sam Bankhead in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Sam Bankhead or Pee Wee Reese hit more home runs?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 126 to Sam Bankhead's 19.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Pee Wee Reese, with .743 to Sam Bankhead's .728.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Sam Bankhead, with .284 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Sam Bankhead's 702.