Lou Boudreau vs Arky Vaughan: Career Stats Comparison
Lou Boudreau (1938–1952) and Arky Vaughan (1932–1948) — both broke in during the 1930s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Lou Boudreau finished with 1,779 hits and 68 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.
Lou Boudreau
Arky Vaughan
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lou Boudreau and Arky Vaughan. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Lou Boudreau | Arky Vaughan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,646 | 1,817 |
| At-Bats | 6,029 | 6,622 |
| Runs | 861 | 1,173 |
| Hits | 1,779 | 2,103 |
| Doubles | 385 | 356 |
| Triples | 66 | 128 |
| Home Runs | 68 | 96 |
| RBI | 789 | 926 |
| Walks | 796 | 937 |
| Strikeouts | 309 | 276 |
| Stolen Bases | 51 | 118 |
| Batting Avg | .295 | .318 |
| On-Base % | .380 | .406 |
| Slugging % | .415 | .453 |
| OPS | .795 | .859 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Arky Vaughan outpaces Lou Boudreau 28,350 to 17,260 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,025 vs 1,151 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).
Lou Boudreau — top 3 seasons by OPS
Arky Vaughan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Arky Vaughan leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Lou Boudreau owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Arky Vaughan. PIV agrees: Arky Vaughan grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.