Jim Bottomley vs Arky Vaughan: 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; Arky Vaughan played 1932–1948 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 Arky Vaughan (1932–1948) — 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; Arky Vaughan finished with 2,103 hits and 96 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 Arky Vaughan's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS? Jim Bottomley, with .869 to Arky Vaughan's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Arky Vaughan, with .318 to Jim Bottomley's .310.
- Who had more hits? Jim Bottomley, with 2,313 to Arky Vaughan's 2,103.
- Who drove in more runs? Jim Bottomley, with 1,422 to Arky Vaughan's 926.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Arky Vaughan, with 28,350 career PIV to Jim Bottomley's 25,340.
- Who won more championships? Jim Bottomley, with 2 World Series titles to Arky Vaughan's 0.
Jim Bottomley
Arky Vaughan
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jim Bottomley and Arky Vaughan. 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 1920s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Jim Bottomley | Arky Vaughan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,991 | 1,817 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,471 | 6,622 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,177 | 1,173 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,313 | 2,103 |
| Doubles | Leads: 465 | 356 |
| Triples | Leads: 151 | 128 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 219 | 96 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,422 | 926 |
| Walks | 664 | Leads: 937 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 591 | 276 |
| Stolen Bases | 58 | Leads: 118 |
| Batting Avg | .310 | Leads: .318 |
| On-Base % | .369 | Leads: .406 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .500 | .453 |
| OPS | Leads: .869 | .859 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Arky Vaughan leads Jim Bottomley 28,350 to 25,340 — driven by per-season impact — 2,025 PIV per season to 1,584 — rather than by longevity, since Arky Vaughan played 14 seasons to Jim Bottomley's 16. 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
Arky Vaughan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jim Bottomley leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Arky Vaughan owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Bottomley. Note that PIV actually grades Arky Vaughan ahead, which means Jim Bottomley's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jim Bottomley and Arky Vaughan careers compare
The careers of Jim Bottomley (1922–1937) and Arky Vaughan (1932–1948) overlapped from 1932 to 1937, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 1,991 games against 1,817 across 16 and 14 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Arky Vaughan are walks (937 to 664), stolen bases (118 to 58), and batting average (.318 to .310). At the plate, Jim Bottomley walked more often than struck out (664 walks, 591 strikeouts), and Arky Vaughan walked more often than struck out (937 walks, 276 strikeouts). Jim Bottomley is the more power-leaning hitter, with 219 of 2,313 hits leaving the park.
Jim Bottomley vs Arky Vaughan: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jim Bottomley or Arky Vaughan?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Jim Bottomley leads Arky Vaughan in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jim Bottomley or Arky Vaughan hit more home runs?
- Jim Bottomley, with 219 to Arky Vaughan's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Jim Bottomley, with .869 to Arky Vaughan's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Arky Vaughan, with .318 to Jim Bottomley's .310.
- Who had more hits?
- Jim Bottomley, with 2,313 to Arky Vaughan's 2,103.