Barry Bonds vs Babe Ruth: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Barry Bonds played 1986–2007 as a hitter; Babe Ruth played 1914–1935 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 Babe Ruth (1914–1935) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 home runs; Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 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 Babe Ruth's 714.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Barry Bonds's 1.051.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Ruth, with .342 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits? Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Babe Ruth's 2,873.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Barry Bonds's 1,996.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Barry Bonds's 96,025.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Barry Bonds's 0.
Barry Bonds
Babe Ruth
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Barry Bonds | Babe Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,986 | 2,503 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,847 | 8,398 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,227 | 2,174 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,935 | 2,873 |
| Doubles | Leads: 601 | 506 |
| Triples | 77 | Leads: 136 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 762 | 714 |
| RBI | 1,996 | Leads: 2,217 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,558 | 2,062 |
| Strikeouts | 1,539 | 1,330 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 514 | 123 |
| Batting Avg | .298 | Leads: .342 |
| On-Base % | .444 | Leads: .474 |
| Slugging % | .607 | Leads: .690 |
| OPS | 1.051 | Leads: 1.164 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth leads Barry Bonds 111,979 to 96,025 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,090 vs 4,365 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).
Barry Bonds — top 3 seasons by OPS
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in RBI, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Barry Bonds owns hits, home runs, and runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Barry Bonds vs Babe Ruth: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Barry Bonds or Babe Ruth?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Babe Ruth in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Barry Bonds or Babe Ruth hit more home runs?
- Barry Bonds, with 762 to Babe Ruth's 714.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Barry Bonds's 1.051.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Ruth, with .342 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits?
- Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Babe Ruth's 2,873.