Oscar Charleston vs Joe Medwick: Career Stats Comparison
Joe Medwick has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 as a hitter; Joe Medwick played 1932–1948 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
Oscar Charleston (?–1941) and Joe Medwick (1932–1948) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs; Joe Medwick finished with 2,471 hits and 205 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Joe Medwick, with 205 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS? Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Joe Medwick's .867.
- Who had the higher batting average? Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Joe Medwick's .324.
- Who had more hits? Joe Medwick, with 2,471 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.
- Who drove in more runs? Joe Medwick, with 1,383 to Oscar Charleston's 1,139.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Oscar Charleston, with 34,756 career PIV to Joe Medwick's 28,897.
- Who won more championships? Joe Medwick, with 1 World Series title to Oscar Charleston's 0.
Oscar Charleston
Joe Medwick
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Oscar Charleston and Joe Medwick. 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 | Joe Medwick |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,336 | Leads: 1,984 |
| At-Bats | 4,903 | Leads: 7,635 |
| Runs | 1,164 | Leads: 1,198 |
| Hits | 1,718 | Leads: 2,471 |
| Doubles | 329 | Leads: 540 |
| Triples | 112 | Leads: 113 |
| Home Runs | 183 | Leads: 205 |
| RBI | 1,139 | Leads: 1,383 |
| Walks | Leads: 647 | 437 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 29 | 551 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 311 | 42 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .350 | .324 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .430 | .362 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .575 | .505 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.005 | .867 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Oscar Charleston leads Joe Medwick 34,756 to 28,897 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Oscar Charleston played 31 seasons to Joe Medwick's 20, while Joe Medwick carries the higher per-season figure (1,445 to 1,121). 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
Joe Medwick — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Oscar Charleston leads in stolen bases, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Joe Medwick owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Oscar Charleston. PIV agrees: Oscar Charleston 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 Joe Medwick careers compare
The careers of Oscar Charleston (?–1941) and Joe Medwick (1932–1948) overlapped from 1941 to 1941, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,336 games for Oscar Charleston and 1,984 for Joe Medwick across 31 and 20 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Plate discipline differs: Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts), but Joe Medwick struck out more than walked (551 to 437). On the bases, Oscar Charleston stole more often per game played (311 steals in 1,336 games for Oscar Charleston, 42 in 1,984 for Joe Medwick).
Oscar Charleston vs Joe Medwick: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Oscar Charleston or Joe Medwick?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Joe Medwick leads Oscar Charleston in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Oscar Charleston or Joe Medwick hit more home runs?
- Joe Medwick, with 205 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Oscar Charleston, with 1.005 to Joe Medwick's .867.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Joe Medwick's .324.
- Who had more hits?
- Joe Medwick, with 2,471 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.