Jesse Barnes vs Virgil Barnes: Career Stats Comparison

Jesse Barnes (1915–1927) and Virgil Barnes (1919–1928) — both came up during the 1910s, so the matchup is a direct one. Jesse Barnes compiled 152 wins and 653 strikeouts; Virgil Barnes put up 61 wins and 275 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Jesse Barnes

Pitcher · 1915–1927
Wins
152
Losses
150
Strikeouts
653
ERA
3.22
WHIP
1.25
IP
2,569
View Jesse Barnes's full profile →

Virgil Barnes

Pitcher · 1919–1928
Wins
61
Losses
59
Strikeouts
275
ERA
3.66
WHIP
1.36
IP
1,094
View Virgil Barnes's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.

Statistic Jesse Barnes Virgil Barnes
Wins 152 61
Losses 150 59
Games 422 205
Games Started 314 135
Complete Games 180 58
Shutouts 26 7
Saves 13 11
Strikeouts 653 275
Walks 515 293
Hits Allowed 2,686 1,192
Home Runs Allowed 88 46
Innings Pitched 2,569 1,094
ERA 3.22 3.66
WHIP 1.25 1.36
K/9 2.29 2.26
BB/9 1.80 2.41

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jesse Barnes outpaces Virgil Barnes 13,287 to 3,018 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (949 vs 302 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jesse Barnes
13,287
Career Pitcher PIV · 949 per season (14 seasons)
Virgil Barnes
3,018
Career Pitcher PIV · 302 per season (10 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Jesse Barnes — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19162.37 ERA6-15, 55 K in 163 IP
19192.40 ERA25-9, 92 K in 295 IP
19202.64 ERA20-15, 63 K in 292 IP

Virgil Barnes — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19262.87 ERA8-13, 54 K in 185 IP
19243.06 ERA16-10, 59 K in 229 IP
19253.53 ERA15-11, 53 K in 221 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jesse Barnes leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Virgil Barnes owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jesse Barnes. PIV agrees: Jesse Barnes grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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