Orlando Cepeda vs Gil Hodges: Career Stats Comparison

Orlando Cepeda has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Orlando Cepeda played 1958–1974 as a hitter; Gil Hodges played 1943–1963 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

Orlando Cepeda (1958–1974) and Gil Hodges (1943–1963) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Orlando Cepeda finished with 2,351 hits and 379 home runs; Gil Hodges finished with 1,921 hits and 370 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Orlando Cepeda, with 379 to Gil Hodges's 370.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Orlando Cepeda, with .849 to Gil Hodges's .846.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Orlando Cepeda, with .297 to Gil Hodges's .273.
  • Who had more hits? Orlando Cepeda, with 2,351 to Gil Hodges's 1,921.
  • Who drove in more runs? Orlando Cepeda, with 1,365 to Gil Hodges's 1,274.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Orlando Cepeda, with 32,785 career PIV to Gil Hodges's 24,928.
  • Who won more championships? Both — each won 2 World Series titles.
Leads Orlando Cepeda 11 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Orlando Cepeda +7,857
Read the verdict ↓

Orlando Cepeda

Hitter · 1958–1974
Games
2,124
Hits
2,351
Home Runs
379
RBI
1,365
Avg
.297
OPS
.849
View Orlando Cepeda's full profile →

Gil Hodges

Hitter · 1943–1963
Games
2,071
Hits
1,921
Home Runs
370
RBI
1,274
Avg
.273
OPS
.846
View Gil Hodges's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Orlando Cepeda and Gil Hodges. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Orlando Cepeda vs Gil Hodges: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Orlando Cepeda Gil Hodges
Games Leads: 2,124 2,071
At-Bats Leads: 7,927 7,030
Runs Leads: 1,131 1,105
Hits Leads: 2,351 1,921
Doubles Leads: 417 295
Triples 27 Leads: 48
Home Runs Leads: 379 370
RBI Leads: 1,365 1,274
Walks 588 Leads: 943
Strikeouts 1,169 1,137
Stolen Bases Leads: 142 63
Batting Avg Leads: .297 .273
On-Base % .350 Leads: .359
Slugging % Leads: .499 .487
OPS Leads: .849 .846

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Orlando Cepeda leads Gil Hodges 32,785 to 24,928 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,726 vs 1,385 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Orlando Cepeda
32,785
Career PIV · 1,726 per season (19 seasons)
Gil Hodges
24,928
Career PIV · 1,385 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Orlando Cepeda — top 3 seasons by OPS

1961.970 OPS46 HR, 142 RBI, .311 avg
1963.929 OPS34 HR, 97 RBI, .316 avg
1967.923 OPS25 HR, 111 RBI, .325 avg

Gil Hodges — top 3 seasons by OPS

1954.952 OPS42 HR, 130 RBI, .304 avg
1953.943 OPS31 HR, 122 RBI, .302 avg
1951.901 OPS40 HR, 103 RBI, .268 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Orlando Cepeda leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Gil Hodges owns OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Orlando Cepeda. PIV agrees: Orlando Cepeda grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Orlando Cepeda vs Gil Hodges: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Orlando Cepeda or Gil Hodges?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Orlando Cepeda leads Gil Hodges in 11 of 14 categories.
Did Orlando Cepeda or Gil Hodges hit more home runs?
Orlando Cepeda, with 379 to Gil Hodges's 370.
Who had the higher OPS?
Orlando Cepeda, with .849 to Gil Hodges's .846.
Who had the higher batting average?
Orlando Cepeda, with .297 to Gil Hodges's .273.
Who had more hits?
Orlando Cepeda, with 2,351 to Gil Hodges's 1,921.