Barry Bonds vs Hank Greenberg: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds has the better career line of the two, leading 13 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; Hank Greenberg played 1930–1947 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 Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Barry Bonds, with 762 to Hank Greenberg's 331.
- Who had the higher OPS? Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Hank Greenberg's 1.017.
- Who had the higher batting average? Hank Greenberg, with .313 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits? Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Hank Greenberg's 1,628.
- Who drove in more runs? Barry Bonds, with 1,996 to Hank Greenberg's 1,276.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Barry Bonds, with 96,025 career PIV to Hank Greenberg's 43,523.
- Who won more championships? Hank Greenberg, with 2 World Series titles to Barry Bonds's 0.
Barry Bonds
Hank Greenberg
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds and Hank Greenberg. 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 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Barry Bonds | Hank Greenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,986 | 1,394 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,847 | 5,193 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,227 | 1,051 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,935 | 1,628 |
| Doubles | Leads: 601 | 379 |
| Triples | Leads: 77 | 71 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 762 | 331 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,996 | 1,276 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,558 | 852 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,539 | 844 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 514 | 58 |
| Batting Avg | .298 | Leads: .313 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .444 | .412 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .607 | .605 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.051 | 1.017 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds outpaces Hank Greenberg 96,025 to 43,523 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,365 PIV per season to 3,348, across 22 seasons to 13. 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
Hank Greenberg — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Hank Greenberg 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 Hank Greenberg careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Hank Greenberg's ended in 1947, and Barry Bonds debuted in 1986. Barry Bonds has the far longer record, 2,986 games against 1,394 across 22 and 13 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Hank Greenberg are batting average (.313 to .298). At the plate, Barry Bonds walked more often than struck out (2,558 walks, 1,539 strikeouts), and Hank Greenberg walked more often than struck out (852 walks, 844 strikeouts). On the bases, Barry Bonds stole more often per game played (514 steals in 2,986 games for Barry Bonds, 58 in 1,394 for Hank Greenberg).
Barry Bonds vs Hank Greenberg: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Barry Bonds or Hank Greenberg?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Hank Greenberg in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Barry Bonds or Hank Greenberg hit more home runs?
- Barry Bonds, with 762 to Hank Greenberg's 331.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Hank Greenberg's 1.017.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Hank Greenberg, with .313 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits?
- Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Hank Greenberg's 1,628.