Oscar Charleston vs Rogers Hornsby: Career Stats Comparison
Rogers Hornsby 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). Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 as a hitter; Rogers Hornsby played 1915–1937 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 Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs; Rogers Hornsby finished with 2,930 hits and 301 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS? Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average? Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Oscar Charleston's .350.
- Who had more hits? Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.
- Who drove in more runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 1,584 to Oscar Charleston's 1,139.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rogers Hornsby, with 68,443 career PIV to Oscar Charleston's 34,756.
- Who won more championships? Rogers Hornsby, with 1 World Series title to Oscar Charleston's 0.
Oscar Charleston
Rogers Hornsby
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Oscar Charleston and Rogers Hornsby. 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 | Rogers Hornsby |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,336 | Leads: 2,259 |
| At-Bats | 4,903 | Leads: 8,173 |
| Runs | 1,164 | Leads: 1,579 |
| Hits | 1,718 | Leads: 2,930 |
| Doubles | 329 | Leads: 541 |
| Triples | 112 | Leads: 169 |
| Home Runs | 183 | Leads: 301 |
| RBI | 1,139 | Leads: 1,584 |
| Walks | 647 | Leads: 1,038 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 29 | 679 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 311 | 135 |
| Batting Avg | .350 | Leads: .358 |
| On-Base % | .430 | Leads: .434 |
| Slugging % | .575 | Leads: .577 |
| OPS | 1.005 | Leads: 1.010 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rogers Hornsby outpaces Oscar Charleston 68,443 to 34,756 — driven by per-season impact — 2,852 PIV per season to 1,121 — rather than by longevity, since Rogers Hornsby played 24 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
Rogers Hornsby — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rogers Hornsby leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Oscar Charleston owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rogers Hornsby. PIV agrees: Rogers Hornsby 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 Rogers Hornsby careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Rogers Hornsby's ended in 1937, and Oscar Charleston debuted in 1941. Rogers Hornsby has the far longer record, 2,259 games against 1,336 across 31 and 24 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Oscar Charleston's edges on the table are stolen bases (311 to 135). At the plate, Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts), and Rogers Hornsby walked more often than struck out (1,038 walks, 679 strikeouts). On the bases, Oscar Charleston stole more often per game played (311 steals in 1,336 games for Oscar Charleston, 135 in 2,259 for Rogers Hornsby). Rogers Hornsby's slugging percentage of .577 tops Oscar Charleston's .575.
Oscar Charleston vs Rogers Hornsby: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Oscar Charleston or Rogers Hornsby?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rogers Hornsby leads Oscar Charleston in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Oscar Charleston or Rogers Hornsby hit more home runs?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Oscar Charleston's .350.
- Who had more hits?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.