Oscar Charleston vs Babe Ruth: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 as a hitter; Babe Ruth played 1914–1935 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 Babe Ruth (1914–1935) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs; Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Babe Ruth, with 714 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average? Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Babe Ruth's .342.
- Who had more hits? Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Oscar Charleston's 1,139.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Oscar Charleston's 34,756.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Oscar Charleston's 0.
Oscar Charleston
Babe Ruth
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Oscar Charleston and Babe Ruth. 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 | Babe Ruth |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,336 | Leads: 2,503 |
| At-Bats | 4,903 | Leads: 8,398 |
| Runs | 1,164 | Leads: 2,174 |
| Hits | 1,718 | Leads: 2,873 |
| Doubles | 329 | Leads: 506 |
| Triples | 112 | Leads: 136 |
| Home Runs | 183 | Leads: 714 |
| RBI | 1,139 | Leads: 2,217 |
| Walks | 647 | Leads: 2,062 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 29 | 1,330 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 311 | 123 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .350 | .342 |
| On-Base % | .430 | Leads: .474 |
| Slugging % | .575 | Leads: .690 |
| OPS | 1.005 | Leads: 1.164 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Oscar Charleston 111,979 to 34,756 — driven by per-season impact — 5,090 PIV per season to 1,121 — rather than by longevity, since Babe Ruth played 22 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
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Oscar Charleston owns stolen bases and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth 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 Babe Ruth careers compare
No season is shared: Babe Ruth played 1914–1935, Oscar Charleston ?–1941. Babe Ruth has the far longer record, 2,503 games against 1,336 across 31 and 22 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Oscar Charleston are stolen bases (311 to 123) and batting average (.350 to .342). Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts); Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts). Babe Ruth is the more power-leaning hitter, with 714 of 2,873 hits leaving the park. On the bases, Oscar Charleston stole more often per game played (311 steals in 1,336 games for Oscar Charleston, 123 in 2,503 for Babe Ruth).
Oscar Charleston vs Babe Ruth: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Oscar Charleston or Babe Ruth?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Oscar Charleston in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Oscar Charleston or Babe Ruth hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Babe Ruth's .342.
- Who had more hits?
- Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.