Roy Campanella vs Lou Gehrig: Career Stats Comparison
Lou Gehrig has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Roy Campanella played 1948–1957 as a hitter; Lou Gehrig played 1923–1939 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
Roy Campanella (1948–1957) and Lou Gehrig (1923–1939) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Roy Campanella finished with 1,427 hits and 260 home runs; Lou Gehrig finished with 2,721 hits and 493 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Lou Gehrig, with 493 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS? Lou Gehrig, with 1.080 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Lou Gehrig, with .340 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits? Lou Gehrig, with 2,721 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.
- Who drove in more runs? Lou Gehrig, with 1,995 to Roy Campanella's 1,015.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Lou Gehrig, with 81,072 career PIV to Roy Campanella's 19,598.
- Who won more championships? Lou Gehrig, with 8 World Series titles to Roy Campanella's 1.
Roy Campanella
Lou Gehrig
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roy Campanella and Lou Gehrig. 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 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Roy Campanella | Lou Gehrig |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | Leads: 2,164 |
| At-Bats | 5,050 | Leads: 8,001 |
| Runs | 787 | Leads: 1,888 |
| Hits | 1,427 | Leads: 2,721 |
| Doubles | 235 | Leads: 534 |
| Triples | 32 | Leads: 163 |
| Home Runs | 260 | Leads: 493 |
| RBI | 1,015 | Leads: 1,995 |
| Walks | 608 | Leads: 1,508 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 514 | 790 |
| Stolen Bases | 39 | Leads: 102 |
| Batting Avg | .283 | Leads: .340 |
| On-Base % | .363 | Leads: .447 |
| Slugging % | .496 | Leads: .632 |
| OPS | .859 | Leads: 1.080 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lou Gehrig outpaces Roy Campanella 81,072 to 19,598 — driven by per-season impact — 4,769 PIV per season to 1,031 — rather than by longevity, since Lou Gehrig played 17 seasons to Roy Campanella's 19. 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).
Roy Campanella — top 3 seasons by OPS
Lou Gehrig — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lou Gehrig leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Roy Campanella owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Lou Gehrig. PIV agrees: Lou Gehrig grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Roy Campanella and Lou Gehrig careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Lou Gehrig's ended in 1939, and Roy Campanella debuted in 1948. The two careers are close in length, 1,455 games for Roy Campanella and 2,164 for Lou Gehrig across 19 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Lou Gehrig leads every scored row of the table. Roy Campanella walked more often than struck out (608 walks, 514 strikeouts); Lou Gehrig walked more often than struck out (1,508 walks, 790 strikeouts). Lou Gehrig was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Lou Gehrig's on-base percentage of .447 tops Roy Campanella's .363.
Roy Campanella vs Lou Gehrig: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Roy Campanella or Lou Gehrig?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lou Gehrig leads Roy Campanella in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Roy Campanella or Lou Gehrig hit more home runs?
- Lou Gehrig, with 493 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Lou Gehrig, with 1.080 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Lou Gehrig, with .340 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits?
- Lou Gehrig, with 2,721 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.