Kris Bryant vs Eddie Mathews: Career Stats Comparison
Eddie Mathews 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). Kris Bryant played 2015–2025 as a hitter; Eddie Mathews played 1952–1968 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
Kris Bryant (2015–2025) and Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) — they broke in during the 2010s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Kris Bryant finished with 1,068 hits and 184 home runs; Eddie Mathews finished with 2,315 hits and 512 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Eddie Mathews, with 512 to Kris Bryant's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS? Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Kris Bryant's .851.
- Who had the higher batting average? Kris Bryant, with .273 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits? Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Kris Bryant's 1,068.
- Who drove in more runs? Eddie Mathews, with 1,453 to Kris Bryant's 548.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Eddie Mathews, with 45,555 career PIV to Kris Bryant's 14,279.
- Who won more championships? Eddie Mathews, with 2 World Series titles to Kris Bryant's 1.
Kris Bryant
Eddie Mathews
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Kris Bryant and Eddie Mathews. 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 2010s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Kris Bryant | Eddie Mathews |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,054 | Leads: 2,391 |
| At-Bats | 3,919 | Leads: 8,537 |
| Runs | 667 | Leads: 1,509 |
| Hits | 1,068 | Leads: 2,315 |
| Doubles | 233 | Leads: 354 |
| Triples | 19 | Leads: 72 |
| Home Runs | 184 | Leads: 512 |
| RBI | 548 | Leads: 1,453 |
| Walks | 504 | Leads: 1,444 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,064 | 1,487 |
| Stolen Bases | 44 | Leads: 68 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .273 | .271 |
| On-Base % | .368 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | .483 | Leads: .509 |
| OPS | .851 | Leads: .885 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Mathews outpaces Kris Bryant 45,555 to 14,279 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,531 PIV per season to 1,190, across 18 seasons to 12. 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).
Kris Bryant — top 3 seasons by OPS
Eddie Mathews — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Eddie Mathews leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Kris Bryant owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Eddie Mathews. PIV agrees: Eddie Mathews grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Kris Bryant and Eddie Mathews careers compare
No season is shared: Eddie Mathews played 1952–1968, Kris Bryant 2015–2025. The table compares 1,054 games of Kris Bryant with 2,391 of Eddie Mathews across 12 and 18 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Kris Bryant are batting average (.273 to .271). At the plate, Kris Bryant struck out more than walked (1,064 to 504), and Eddie Mathews struck out more than walked (1,487 to 1,444). Eddie Mathews's on-base percentage of .376 tops Kris Bryant's .368. On the peak-season lists, Kris Bryant's best year is 2017 at .946 OPS and Eddie Mathews's is 1953 at 1.033 OPS; Eddie Mathews has the stronger single season.
Kris Bryant vs Eddie Mathews: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Kris Bryant or Eddie Mathews?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Eddie Mathews leads Kris Bryant in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Kris Bryant or Eddie Mathews hit more home runs?
- Eddie Mathews, with 512 to Kris Bryant's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Kris Bryant's .851.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Kris Bryant, with .273 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits?
- Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Kris Bryant's 1,068.