Oscar Charleston vs Charlie Gehringer: Career Stats Comparison
Charlie Gehringer 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). Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 as a hitter; Charlie Gehringer played 1924–1942 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
Oscar Charleston (?–1941) and Charlie Gehringer (1924–1942) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs; Charlie Gehringer finished with 2,839 hits and 184 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 184 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS? Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits? Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.
- Who drove in more runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 1,427 to Oscar Charleston's 1,139.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Charlie Gehringer, with 39,288 career PIV to Oscar Charleston's 34,756.
- Who won more championships? Charlie Gehringer, with 1 World Series title to Oscar Charleston's 0.
Oscar Charleston
Charlie Gehringer
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Oscar Charleston and Charlie Gehringer. 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 | Oscar Charleston | Charlie Gehringer |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,336 | Leads: 2,323 |
| At-Bats | 4,903 | Leads: 8,860 |
| Runs | 1,164 | Leads: 1,774 |
| Hits | 1,718 | Leads: 2,839 |
| Doubles | 329 | Leads: 574 |
| Triples | 112 | Leads: 146 |
| Home Runs | 183 | Leads: 184 |
| RBI | 1,139 | Leads: 1,427 |
| Walks | 647 | Leads: 1,186 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 29 | 372 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 311 | 181 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .350 | .320 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .430 | .404 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .575 | .480 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.005 | .884 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Charlie Gehringer leads Oscar Charleston 39,288 to 34,756 — driven by per-season impact — 2,068 PIV per season to 1,121 — rather than by longevity, since Charlie Gehringer played 19 seasons to Oscar Charleston's 31. 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).
Oscar Charleston — top 2 seasons by OPS
Charlie Gehringer — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Charlie Gehringer leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Oscar Charleston owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Charlie Gehringer. PIV agrees: Charlie Gehringer grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Oscar Charleston and Charlie Gehringer careers compare
Oscar Charleston and Charlie Gehringer were active at the same time between 1941 and 1941. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Oscar Charleston appeared in 1,336 games to Charlie Gehringer's 2,323. Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts); Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Oscar Charleston's hits: 183 of 1,718 for Oscar Charleston, 184 of 2,839 for Charlie Gehringer. Oscar Charleston was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Oscar Charleston's on-base percentage of .430 tops Charlie Gehringer's .404.
Oscar Charleston vs Charlie Gehringer: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Oscar Charleston or Charlie Gehringer?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Charlie Gehringer leads Oscar Charleston in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Oscar Charleston or Charlie Gehringer hit more home runs?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 184 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.