Ernie Banks vs Hank Greenberg: Career Stats Comparison
Ernie Banks (1953–1971) and Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ernie Banks finished with 2,583 hits and 512 home runs; Hank Greenberg finished with 1,628 hits and 331 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Ernie Banks
Hank Greenberg
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ernie Banks and Hank Greenberg. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Ernie Banks | Hank Greenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,528 | 1,394 |
| At-Bats | 9,421 | 5,193 |
| Runs | 1,305 | 1,051 |
| Hits | 2,583 | 1,628 |
| Doubles | 407 | 379 |
| Triples | 90 | 71 |
| Home Runs | 512 | 331 |
| RBI | 1,636 | 1,276 |
| Walks | 763 | 852 |
| Strikeouts | 1,236 | 844 |
| Stolen Bases | 50 | 58 |
| Batting Avg | .274 | .313 |
| On-Base % | .330 | .412 |
| Slugging % | .500 | .605 |
| OPS | .830 | 1.017 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Greenberg outpaces Ernie Banks 43,523 to 30,636 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,348 vs 1,612 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).
Ernie Banks — top 3 seasons by OPS
Hank Greenberg — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Hank Greenberg leads in stolen bases, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Ernie Banks owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Greenberg. PIV agrees: Hank Greenberg grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.