Rod Carew vs Buck Leonard: Career Stats Comparison
Rod Carew has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Rod Carew played 1967–1985 as a hitter; Buck Leonard played ?–1948 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
Rod Carew (1967–1985) and Buck Leonard (?–1948) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Rod Carew finished with 3,053 hits and 92 home runs; Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Buck Leonard, with 100 to Rod Carew's 92.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Rod Carew's .822.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buck Leonard, with .343 to Rod Carew's .328.
- Who had more hits? Rod Carew, with 3,053 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Rod Carew, with 1,015 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rod Carew, with 35,141 career PIV to Buck Leonard's 19,107.
- Who won more championships? Buck Leonard, with 3 World Series titles to Rod Carew's 0.
Buck Leonard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rod Carew and Buck Leonard. 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 | Rod Carew | Buck Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,469 | 641 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,315 | 2,300 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,424 | 567 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,053 | 790 |
| Doubles | Leads: 445 | 153 |
| Triples | Leads: 112 | 52 |
| Home Runs | 92 | Leads: 100 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,015 | 578 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,018 | 419 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,028 | 14 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 353 | 32 |
| Batting Avg | .328 | Leads: .343 |
| On-Base % | .393 | Leads: .449 |
| Slugging % | .429 | Leads: .586 |
| OPS | .822 | Leads: 1.034 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rod Carew outpaces Buck Leonard 35,141 to 19,107 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,850 PIV per season to 1,274, across 19 seasons to 15. 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).
Rod Carew — top 3 seasons by OPS
Buck Leonard
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rod Carew leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Buck Leonard owns home runs, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rod Carew. PIV agrees: Rod Carew grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Rod Carew and Buck Leonard careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Buck Leonard's ended in 1948, and Rod Carew debuted in 1967. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Rod Carew appeared in 2,469 games to Buck Leonard's 641. At the plate, Rod Carew struck out more than walked (1,028 to 1,018), while Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Buck Leonard's hits: 92 of 3,053 for Rod Carew, 100 of 790 for Buck Leonard. On the bases, Rod Carew stole more often per game played (353 steals in 2,469 games for Rod Carew, 32 in 641 for Buck Leonard).
Rod Carew vs Buck Leonard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Rod Carew or Buck Leonard?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rod Carew leads Buck Leonard in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Rod Carew or Buck Leonard hit more home runs?
- Buck Leonard, with 100 to Rod Carew's 92.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Rod Carew's .822.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buck Leonard, with .343 to Rod Carew's .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Rod Carew, with 3,053 to Buck Leonard's 790.