Jim Bottomley vs Hank Greenberg: Career Stats Comparison

Jim Bottomley (1922–1937) and Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jim Bottomley finished with 2,313 hits and 219 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.

Jim Bottomley

Hitter · 1922–1937
Games
1,991
Hits
2,313
Home Runs
219
RBI
1,422
Avg
.310
OPS
.869
View Jim Bottomley's full profile →

Hank Greenberg

Hitter · 1930–1947
Games
1,394
Hits
1,628
Home Runs
331
RBI
1,276
Avg
.313
OPS
1.017
View Hank Greenberg's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jim Bottomley and Hank Greenberg. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Jim Bottomley Hank Greenberg
Games 1,991 1,394
At-Bats 7,471 5,193
Runs 1,177 1,051
Hits 2,313 1,628
Doubles 465 379
Triples 151 71
Home Runs 219 331
RBI 1,422 1,276
Walks 664 852
Strikeouts 591 844
Stolen Bases 58 58
Batting Avg .310 .313
On-Base % .369 .412
Slugging % .500 .605
OPS .869 1.017

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Greenberg outpaces Jim Bottomley 43,523 to 25,340 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,348 vs 1,584 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jim Bottomley
25,340
Career PIV · 1,584 per season (16 seasons)
Hank Greenberg
43,523
Career PIV · 3,348 per season (13 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Jim Bottomley — top 3 seasons by OPS

19281.030 OPS31 HR, 136 RBI, .325 avg
1925.992 OPS21 HR, 128 RBI, .367 avg
1923.960 OPS8 HR, 94 RBI, .371 avg

Hank Greenberg — top 3 seasons by OPS

19381.122 OPS58 HR, 146 RBI, .315 avg
19371.105 OPS40 HR, 183 RBI, .337 avg
19401.103 OPS41 HR, 150 RBI, .340 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Hank Greenberg leads in home runs, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Jim Bottomley owns hits, RBI, and runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Greenberg. PIV agrees: Hank Greenberg grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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