Roy Campanella 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). Roy Campanella played 1948–1957 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
Roy Campanella (1948–1957) and Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Roy Campanella finished with 1,427 hits and 260 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 Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS? Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Roy Campanella, with .283 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits? Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.
- Who drove in more runs? Eddie Mathews, with 1,453 to Roy Campanella's 1,015.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Eddie Mathews, with 45,555 career PIV to Roy Campanella's 19,598.
- Who won more championships? Eddie Mathews, with 2 World Series titles to Roy Campanella's 1.
Roy Campanella
Eddie Mathews
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roy Campanella 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 1940s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Roy Campanella | Eddie Mathews |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | Leads: 2,391 |
| At-Bats | 5,050 | Leads: 8,537 |
| Runs | 787 | Leads: 1,509 |
| Hits | 1,427 | Leads: 2,315 |
| Doubles | 235 | Leads: 354 |
| Triples | 32 | Leads: 72 |
| Home Runs | 260 | Leads: 512 |
| RBI | 1,015 | Leads: 1,453 |
| Walks | 608 | Leads: 1,444 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 514 | 1,487 |
| Stolen Bases | 39 | Leads: 68 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .283 | .271 |
| On-Base % | .363 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | .496 | Leads: .509 |
| OPS | .859 | Leads: .885 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Mathews outpaces Roy Campanella 45,555 to 19,598 — driven by per-season impact — 2,531 PIV per season to 1,031 — rather than by longevity, since Eddie Mathews played 18 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
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 Roy Campanella 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 Roy Campanella and Eddie Mathews careers compare
The careers of Roy Campanella (1948–1957) and Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) overlapped from 1952 to 1957, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Roy Campanella appeared in 1,455 games to Eddie Mathews's 2,391. Roy Campanella's edges on the table are batting average (.283 to .271). Plate discipline differs: Roy Campanella walked more often than struck out (608 walks, 514 strikeouts), but Eddie Mathews struck out more than walked (1,487 to 1,444). In slugging percentage, Eddie Mathews holds the edge, .509 to .496.
Roy Campanella vs Eddie Mathews: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Roy Campanella or Eddie Mathews?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Eddie Mathews leads Roy Campanella in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Roy Campanella or Eddie Mathews hit more home runs?
- Eddie Mathews, with 512 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Roy Campanella, with .283 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits?
- Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.