Ernie Banks vs Gil Hodges: Career Stats Comparison
Ernie Banks (1953–1971) and Gil Hodges (1943–1963) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ernie Banks finished with 2,583 hits and 512 home runs; Gil Hodges finished with 1,921 hits and 370 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Ernie Banks
Gil Hodges
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ernie Banks and Gil Hodges. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Ernie Banks | Gil Hodges |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,528 | 2,071 |
| At-Bats | 9,421 | 7,030 |
| Runs | 1,305 | 1,105 |
| Hits | 2,583 | 1,921 |
| Doubles | 407 | 295 |
| Triples | 90 | 48 |
| Home Runs | 512 | 370 |
| RBI | 1,636 | 1,274 |
| Walks | 763 | 943 |
| Strikeouts | 1,236 | 1,137 |
| Stolen Bases | 50 | 63 |
| Batting Avg | .274 | .273 |
| On-Base % | .330 | .359 |
| Slugging % | .500 | .487 |
| OPS | .830 | .846 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ernie Banks leads Gil Hodges 30,636 to 24,928 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,612 vs 1,385 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
Gil Hodges — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ernie Banks leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Gil Hodges owns stolen bases, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ernie Banks. PIV agrees: Ernie Banks grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.