Ken Boyer vs Gil Hodges: Career Stats Comparison
Gil Hodges 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). Ken Boyer played 1955–1969 as a hitter; Gil Hodges played 1943–1963 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
Ken Boyer (1955–1969) and Gil Hodges (1943–1963) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ken Boyer finished with 2,143 hits and 282 home runs; Gil Hodges finished with 1,921 hits and 370 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Gil Hodges, with 370 to Ken Boyer's 282.
- Who had the higher OPS? Gil Hodges, with .846 to Ken Boyer's .810.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ken Boyer, with .287 to Gil Hodges's .273.
- Who had more hits? Ken Boyer, with 2,143 to Gil Hodges's 1,921.
- Who drove in more runs? Gil Hodges, with 1,274 to Ken Boyer's 1,141.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Gil Hodges, with 24,928 career PIV to Ken Boyer's 22,279.
- Who won more championships? Gil Hodges, with 2 World Series titles to Ken Boyer's 1.
Ken Boyer
Gil Hodges
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Boyer and Gil Hodges. 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 1950s and the 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ken Boyer | Gil Hodges |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,034 | Leads: 2,071 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,455 | 7,030 |
| Runs | 1,104 | Leads: 1,105 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,143 | 1,921 |
| Doubles | Leads: 318 | 295 |
| Triples | Leads: 68 | 48 |
| Home Runs | 282 | Leads: 370 |
| RBI | 1,141 | Leads: 1,274 |
| Walks | 713 | Leads: 943 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,017 | 1,137 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 105 | 63 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .287 | .273 |
| On-Base % | .349 | Leads: .359 |
| Slugging % | .462 | Leads: .487 |
| OPS | .810 | Leads: .846 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Gil Hodges leads Ken Boyer 24,928 to 22,279 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,385 PIV per season to 1,311, across 18 seasons to 17. 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).
Ken Boyer — top 3 seasons by OPS
Gil Hodges — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Gil Hodges leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and OBP, while Ken Boyer owns hits, stolen bases, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Gil Hodges. PIV agrees: Gil Hodges grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ken Boyer and Gil Hodges careers compare
The careers of Ken Boyer (1955–1969) and Gil Hodges (1943–1963) overlapped from 1955 to 1963, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,034 games for Ken Boyer and 2,071 for Gil Hodges across 17 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Ken Boyer struck out more than walked (1,017 to 713), and Gil Hodges struck out more than walked (1,137 to 943). Home runs make up a larger share of Gil Hodges's hits: 282 of 2,143 for Ken Boyer, 370 of 1,921 for Gil Hodges.
Ken Boyer vs Gil Hodges: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ken Boyer or Gil Hodges?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Gil Hodges leads Ken Boyer in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ken Boyer or Gil Hodges hit more home runs?
- Gil Hodges, with 370 to Ken Boyer's 282.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Gil Hodges, with .846 to Ken Boyer's .810.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ken Boyer, with .287 to Gil Hodges's .273.
- Who had more hits?
- Ken Boyer, with 2,143 to Gil Hodges's 1,921.