Oscar Charleston vs Turkey Stearnes: Career Stats Comparison
Oscar Charleston has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 as a hitter; Turkey Stearnes played ?–1940 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 Turkey Stearnes (?–1940) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs; Turkey Stearnes finished with 1,372 hits and 195 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Turkey Stearnes, with 195 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS? Turkey Stearnes, with 1.033 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average? Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Turkey Stearnes's .347.
- Who had more hits? Oscar Charleston, with 1,718 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.
- Who drove in more runs? Oscar Charleston, with 1,139 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,038.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Oscar Charleston, with 34,756 career PIV to Turkey Stearnes's 28,010.
Oscar Charleston
Turkey Stearnes
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Oscar Charleston and Turkey Stearnes. 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 | Turkey Stearnes |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,336 | 1,034 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 4,903 | 3,959 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,164 | 961 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,718 | 1,372 |
| Doubles | Leads: 329 | 243 |
| Triples | 112 | Leads: 122 |
| Home Runs | 183 | Leads: 195 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,139 | 1,038 |
| Walks | Leads: 647 | 429 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 29 | 11 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 311 | 141 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .350 | .347 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .430 | .416 |
| Slugging % | .575 | Leads: .617 |
| OPS | 1.005 | Leads: 1.033 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Oscar Charleston leads Turkey Stearnes 34,756 to 28,010 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Oscar Charleston played 31 seasons to Turkey Stearnes's 22, while Turkey Stearnes carries the higher per-season figure (1,273 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
Turkey Stearnes — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Oscar Charleston leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Turkey Stearnes owns home runs and OPS. 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 Turkey Stearnes careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Turkey Stearnes's ended in 1940, and Oscar Charleston debuted in 1941. The two careers are close in length, 1,336 games for Oscar Charleston and 1,034 for Turkey Stearnes across 31 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Turkey Stearnes's edges on the table are triples (122 to 112), home runs (195 to 183), and slugging percentage (.617 to .575). At the plate, Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts), and Turkey Stearnes walked more often than struck out (429 walks, 11 strikeouts).
Oscar Charleston vs Turkey Stearnes: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Oscar Charleston or Turkey Stearnes?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Oscar Charleston leads Turkey Stearnes in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Oscar Charleston or Turkey Stearnes hit more home runs?
- Turkey Stearnes, with 195 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Turkey Stearnes, with 1.033 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Turkey Stearnes's .347.
- Who had more hits?
- Oscar Charleston, with 1,718 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.