Pete Browning vs Jim O'Rourke: Career Stats Comparison

Jim O'Rourke has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Pete Browning played 1882–1894 as a hitter; Jim O'Rourke played 1872–1904 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

Pete Browning (1882–1894) and Jim O'Rourke (1872–1904) — they broke in during the 1880s and the 1870s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Pete Browning finished with 1,646 hits and 46 home runs; Jim O'Rourke finished with 2,639 hits and 62 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Jim O'Rourke, with 62 to Pete Browning's 46.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Pete Browning, with .869 to Jim O'Rourke's .775.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Pete Browning, with .341 to Jim O'Rourke's .310.
  • Who had more hits? Jim O'Rourke, with 2,639 to Pete Browning's 1,646.
  • Who drove in more runs? Jim O'Rourke, with 1,208 to Pete Browning's 659.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Jim O'Rourke, with 29,906 career PIV to Pete Browning's 28,876.
  • Who won more championships? Jim O'Rourke, with 2 World Series titles to Pete Browning's 0.
Leads Jim O'Rourke 9 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Jim O'Rourke +1,029
Read the verdict ↓

Pete Browning

Hitter · 1882–1894
Games
1,183
Hits
1,646
Home Runs
46
RBI
659
Avg
.341
OPS
.869
View Pete Browning's full profile →

Jim O'Rourke

Hitter · 1872–1904
Games
1,999
Hits
2,639
Home Runs
62
RBI
1,208
Avg
.310
OPS
.775
View Jim O'Rourke's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Pete Browning and Jim O'Rourke. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Pete Browning vs Jim O'Rourke: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Pete Browning Jim O'Rourke
Games 1,183 Leads: 1,999
At-Bats 4,820 Leads: 8,503
Runs 954 Leads: 1,729
Hits 1,646 Leads: 2,639
Doubles 295 Leads: 468
Triples 85 Leads: 149
Home Runs 46 Leads: 62
RBI 659 Leads: 1,208
Walks 466 Leads: 513
Strikeouts 245 362
Stolen Bases Leads: 258 229
Batting Avg Leads: .341 .310
On-Base % Leads: .403 .352
Slugging % Leads: .467 .422
OPS Leads: .869 .775

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim O'Rourke edges Pete Browning 29,906 to 28,876 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,300 vs 1,805 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Pete Browning
28,876
Career PIV · 1,805 per season (16 seasons)
Jim O'Rourke
29,906
Career PIV · 1,300 per season (23 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Pete Browning — top 3 seasons by OPS

18871.011 OPS4 HR, 118 RBI, .402 avg
1890.976 OPS5 HR, 93 RBI, .373 avg
1885.923 OPS9 HR, 73 RBI, .362 avg

Jim O'Rourke — top 3 seasons by OPS

1890.925 OPS9 HR, 115 RBI, .360 avg
1884.872 OPS5 HR, 63 RBI, .347 avg
1879.829 OPS1 HR, 46 RBI, .348 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jim O'Rourke leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Pete Browning owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim O'Rourke. PIV agrees: Jim O'Rourke grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Pete Browning vs Jim O'Rourke: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Pete Browning or Jim O'Rourke?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Jim O'Rourke leads Pete Browning in 9 of 14 categories.
Did Pete Browning or Jim O'Rourke hit more home runs?
Jim O'Rourke, with 62 to Pete Browning's 46.
Who had the higher OPS?
Pete Browning, with .869 to Jim O'Rourke's .775.
Who had the higher batting average?
Pete Browning, with .341 to Jim O'Rourke's .310.
Who had more hits?
Jim O'Rourke, with 2,639 to Pete Browning's 1,646.