Johnny Bench vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Johnny Bench played 1967–1983 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
Johnny Bench (1967–1983) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Johnny Bench finished with 2,048 hits and 389 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? Johnny Bench, with 389 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS? Honus Wagner, with .858 to Johnny Bench's .817.
- Who had the higher batting average? Honus Wagner, with .328 to Johnny Bench's .267.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Johnny Bench's 2,048.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Johnny Bench's 1,376.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to Johnny Bench's 25,321.
- Who won more championships? Johnny Bench, with 2 World Series titles to Honus Wagner's 1.
Johnny Bench
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Johnny Bench 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 1960s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Johnny Bench | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,158 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 7,658 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 1,091 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,048 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 381 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 24 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 389 | 101 |
| RBI | 1,376 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | 891 | Leads: 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,278 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 68 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | .267 | Leads: .328 |
| On-Base % | .342 | Leads: .391 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .476 | .467 |
| OPS | .817 | Leads: .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Johnny Bench 59,177 to 25,321 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 1,489, across 21 seasons to 17. 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).
Johnny Bench — top 3 seasons by OPS
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Johnny Bench owns home runs. 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 Johnny Bench and Honus Wagner careers compare
No season is shared: Honus Wagner played 1897–1917, Johnny Bench 1967–1983. The two careers are close in length, 2,158 games for Johnny Bench and 2,794 for Honus Wagner across 17 and 21 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Johnny Bench are home runs (389 to 101) and slugging percentage (.476 to .467). Plate discipline differs: Johnny Bench struck out more than walked (1,278 to 891), but Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Johnny Bench's hits: 389 of 2,048 for Johnny Bench, 101 of 3,420 for Honus Wagner.
Johnny Bench vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Johnny Bench or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads Johnny Bench in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Johnny Bench or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Johnny Bench, with 389 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Honus Wagner, with .858 to Johnny Bench's .817.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Honus Wagner, with .328 to Johnny Bench's .267.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Johnny Bench's 2,048.