Jesse Burkett vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Jesse Burkett played 1890–1905 as a hitter; Honus Wagner played 1897–1917 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
Jesse Burkett (1890–1905) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — both broke in during the 1890s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Jesse Burkett finished with 2,850 hits and 75 home runs; Honus Wagner finished with 3,420 hits and 101 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Honus Wagner, with 101 to Jesse Burkett's 75.
- Who had the higher OPS? Jesse Burkett, with .861 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average? Jesse Burkett, with .338 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Jesse Burkett's 2,850.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Jesse Burkett's 952.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to Jesse Burkett's 42,233.
- Who won more championships? Honus Wagner, with 1 World Series title to Jesse Burkett's 0.
Jesse Burkett
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jesse Burkett and Honus Wagner. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Jesse Burkett | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,067 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 8,426 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 1,720 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,850 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 320 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 182 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | 75 | Leads: 101 |
| RBI | 952 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,029 | 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 613 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 389 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .338 | .328 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .415 | .391 |
| Slugging % | .446 | Leads: .467 |
| OPS | Leads: .861 | .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Jesse Burkett 59,177 to 42,233 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 2,640, across 21 seasons to 16. 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).
Jesse Burkett — top 3 seasons by OPS
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Jesse Burkett owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Honus Wagner. PIV agrees: Honus Wagner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jesse Burkett and Honus Wagner careers compare
The careers of Jesse Burkett (1890–1905) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) overlapped from 1897 to 1905, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,067 games against 2,794 across 16 and 21 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Jesse Burkett are walks (1,029 to 963), batting average (.338 to .328), and on-base percentage (.415 to .391). Jesse Burkett walked more often than struck out (1,029 walks, 613 strikeouts); Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). On the bases, Honus Wagner stole more often per game played (389 steals in 2,067 games for Jesse Burkett, 723 in 2,794 for Honus Wagner).
Jesse Burkett vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jesse Burkett or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads Jesse Burkett in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jesse Burkett or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Honus Wagner, with 101 to Jesse Burkett's 75.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Jesse Burkett, with .861 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Jesse Burkett, with .338 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Jesse Burkett's 2,850.