Jim Bottomley vs Buck Leonard: Career Stats Comparison
Jim Bottomley has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Jim Bottomley played 1922–1937 as a hitter; Buck Leonard played ?–1948 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
Jim Bottomley (1922–1937) and Buck Leonard (?–1948) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Jim Bottomley finished with 2,313 hits and 219 home runs; Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Jim Bottomley, with 219 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Jim Bottomley's .869.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buck Leonard, with .343 to Jim Bottomley's .310.
- Who had more hits? Jim Bottomley, with 2,313 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Jim Bottomley, with 1,422 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Jim Bottomley, with 25,340 career PIV to Buck Leonard's 19,107.
- Who won more championships? Buck Leonard, with 3 World Series titles to Jim Bottomley's 2.
Jim Bottomley
Buck Leonard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jim Bottomley and Buck Leonard. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Jim Bottomley | Buck Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,991 | 641 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,471 | 2,300 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,177 | 567 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,313 | 790 |
| Doubles | Leads: 465 | 153 |
| Triples | Leads: 151 | 52 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 219 | 100 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,422 | 578 |
| Walks | Leads: 664 | 419 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 591 | 14 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 58 | 32 |
| Batting Avg | .310 | Leads: .343 |
| On-Base % | .369 | Leads: .449 |
| Slugging % | .500 | Leads: .586 |
| OPS | .869 | Leads: 1.034 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Bottomley leads Buck Leonard 25,340 to 19,107 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,584 PIV per season to 1,274, across 16 seasons to 15. 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).
Jim Bottomley — top 3 seasons by OPS
Buck Leonard
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jim Bottomley leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Buck Leonard owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Bottomley. PIV agrees: Jim Bottomley grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jim Bottomley and Buck Leonard careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Jim Bottomley's ended in 1937, and Buck Leonard debuted in 1948. Jim Bottomley has the far longer record, 1,991 games against 641 across 16 and 15 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Buck Leonard are batting average (.343 to .310), on-base percentage (.449 to .369), and slugging percentage (.586 to .500). At the plate, Jim Bottomley walked more often than struck out (664 walks, 591 strikeouts), and Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts). Buck Leonard is the more power-leaning hitter, with 100 of 790 hits leaving the park.
Jim Bottomley vs Buck Leonard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jim Bottomley or Buck Leonard?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Jim Bottomley leads Buck Leonard in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jim Bottomley or Buck Leonard hit more home runs?
- Jim Bottomley, with 219 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Jim Bottomley's .869.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buck Leonard, with .343 to Jim Bottomley's .310.
- Who had more hits?
- Jim Bottomley, with 2,313 to Buck Leonard's 790.