Barry Bonds vs Babe Ruth: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds has the better career line of the two, leading 8 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; 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. 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 1910s were 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 not scored | 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 through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth leads Barry Bonds 111,979 to 96,025 — driven by per-season impact — 5,090 PIV per season to 4,365 — rather than by longevity, since Babe Ruth played 22 seasons to Barry Bonds's 22. 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
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
How the Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth careers compare
Babe Ruth (1914–1935) was finished before Barry Bonds (1986–2007) arrived, so they never shared a league. With 2,986 games against 2,503 across 22 and 22 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Barry Bonds walked more often than struck out (2,558 walks, 1,539 strikeouts); Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts). On the bases, Barry Bonds stole more often per game played (514 steals in 2,986 games for Barry Bonds, 123 in 2,503 for Babe Ruth). Babe Ruth's on-base percentage of .474 tops Barry Bonds's .444.
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 the 14 scored 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.