Barry Bonds vs Charlie Gehringer: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds 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). Barry Bonds played 1986–2007 as a hitter; Charlie Gehringer played 1924–1942 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
Barry Bonds (1986–2007) and Charlie Gehringer (1924–1942) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 home runs; Charlie Gehringer finished with 2,839 hits and 184 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Barry Bonds, with 762 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS? Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Charlie Gehringer, with .320 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits? Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Charlie Gehringer's 2,839.
- Who drove in more runs? Barry Bonds, with 1,996 to Charlie Gehringer's 1,427.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Barry Bonds, with 96,025 career PIV to Charlie Gehringer's 39,288.
- Who won more championships? Charlie Gehringer, with 1 World Series title to Barry Bonds's 0.
Barry Bonds
Charlie Gehringer
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds and Charlie Gehringer. 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 1980s and the 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Barry Bonds | Charlie Gehringer |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,986 | 2,323 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,847 | 8,860 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,227 | 1,774 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,935 | 2,839 |
| Doubles | Leads: 601 | 574 |
| Triples | 77 | Leads: 146 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 762 | 184 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,996 | 1,427 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,558 | 1,186 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,539 | 372 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 514 | 181 |
| Batting Avg | .298 | Leads: .320 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .444 | .404 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .607 | .480 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.051 | .884 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds outpaces Charlie Gehringer 96,025 to 39,288 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,365 PIV per season to 2,068, across 22 seasons to 19. 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).
Barry Bonds — top 3 seasons by OPS
Charlie Gehringer — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Charlie Gehringer owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Barry Bonds. PIV agrees: Barry Bonds grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Barry Bonds and Charlie Gehringer careers compare
Charlie Gehringer (1924–1942) was finished before Barry Bonds (1986–2007) arrived, so they never shared a league. The two careers are close in length, 2,986 games for Barry Bonds and 2,323 for Charlie Gehringer across 22 and 19 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Charlie Gehringer are triples (146 to 77) and batting average (.320 to .298). At the plate, Barry Bonds walked more often than struck out (2,558 walks, 1,539 strikeouts), and Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts). Barry Bonds is the more power-leaning hitter, with 762 of 2,935 hits leaving the park.
Barry Bonds vs Charlie Gehringer: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Barry Bonds or Charlie Gehringer?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Charlie Gehringer in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Barry Bonds or Charlie Gehringer hit more home runs?
- Barry Bonds, with 762 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Charlie Gehringer, with .320 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits?
- Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Charlie Gehringer's 2,839.