Willard Brown vs Rogers Hornsby: Career Stats Comparison
Rogers Hornsby has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Willard Brown played 1947–1948 as a hitter; Rogers Hornsby played 1915–1937 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
Willard Brown (1947–1948) and Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willard Brown finished with 643 hits and 63 home runs; Rogers Hornsby finished with 2,930 hits and 301 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS? Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Willard Brown's .985.
- Who had the higher batting average? Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Willard Brown's .354.
- Who had more hits? Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Willard Brown's 643.
- Who drove in more runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 1,584 to Willard Brown's 432.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rogers Hornsby, with 68,443 career PIV to Willard Brown's 11,037.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Willard Brown
Rogers Hornsby
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willard Brown and Rogers Hornsby. 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 1940s and the 1910s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Willard Brown | Rogers Hornsby |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 473 | Leads: 2,259 |
| At-Bats | 1,818 | Leads: 8,173 |
| Runs | 368 | Leads: 1,579 |
| Hits | 643 | Leads: 2,930 |
| Doubles | 139 | Leads: 541 |
| Triples | 46 | Leads: 169 |
| Home Runs | 63 | Leads: 301 |
| RBI | 432 | Leads: 1,584 |
| Walks | 137 | Leads: 1,038 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 16 | 679 |
| Stolen Bases | 95 | Leads: 135 |
| Batting Avg | .354 | Leads: .358 |
| On-Base % | .400 | Leads: .434 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .585 | .577 |
| OPS | .985 | Leads: 1.010 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rogers Hornsby outpaces Willard Brown 68,443 to 11,037 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,852 PIV per season to 788, across 24 seasons to 14. 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).
Willard Brown
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Rogers Hornsby — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rogers Hornsby leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Willard Brown owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rogers Hornsby. PIV agrees: Rogers Hornsby grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Willard Brown and Rogers Hornsby careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Rogers Hornsby's ended in 1937, and Willard Brown debuted in 1947. The table compares 473 games of Willard Brown with 2,259 of Rogers Hornsby across 14 and 24 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Where Willard Brown comes out ahead, it is in slugging percentage (.585 to .577). At the plate, Willard Brown walked more often than struck out (137 walks, 16 strikeouts), and Rogers Hornsby walked more often than struck out (1,038 walks, 679 strikeouts). Willard Brown was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Willard Brown's slugging percentage of .585 tops Rogers Hornsby's .577.
Willard Brown vs Rogers Hornsby: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willard Brown or Rogers Hornsby?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rogers Hornsby leads Willard Brown in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willard Brown or Rogers Hornsby hit more home runs?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Willard Brown's .985.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Willard Brown's .354.
- Who had more hits?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Willard Brown's 643.