Ty Cobb vs Tony Lazzeri: Career Stats Comparison
Ty Cobb 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). Ty Cobb played 1905–1928 as a hitter; Tony Lazzeri played 1926–1939 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
Ty Cobb (1905–1928) and Tony Lazzeri (1926–1939) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ty Cobb finished with 4,189 hits and 117 home runs; Tony Lazzeri finished with 1,840 hits and 178 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Tony Lazzeri, with 178 to Ty Cobb's 117.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ty Cobb, with .945 to Tony Lazzeri's .846.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ty Cobb, with .366 to Tony Lazzeri's .292.
- Who had more hits? Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Tony Lazzeri's 1,840.
- Who drove in more runs? Ty Cobb, with 1,944 to Tony Lazzeri's 1,191.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ty Cobb, with 87,488 career PIV to Tony Lazzeri's 19,403.
- Who won more championships? Tony Lazzeri, with 5 World Series titles to Ty Cobb's 0.
Tony Lazzeri
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ty Cobb and Tony Lazzeri. 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, and the 1900s and the 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ty Cobb | Tony Lazzeri |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,035 | 1,740 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 11,436 | 6,297 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,247 | 986 |
| Hits | Leads: 4,189 | 1,840 |
| Doubles | Leads: 724 | 334 |
| Triples | Leads: 295 | 115 |
| Home Runs | 117 | Leads: 178 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,944 | 1,191 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,249 | 869 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 680 | 864 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 896 | 148 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .366 | .292 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .433 | .380 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .512 | .467 |
| OPS | Leads: .945 | .846 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Tony Lazzeri 87,488 to 19,403 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,645 PIV per season to 1,294, across 24 seasons to 15. 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).
Ty Cobb — top 3 seasons by OPS
Tony Lazzeri — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ty Cobb leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Tony Lazzeri owns home runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ty Cobb. PIV agrees: Ty Cobb grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ty Cobb and Tony Lazzeri careers compare
Ty Cobb and Tony Lazzeri were active at the same time between 1926 and 1928. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Ty Cobb appeared in 3,035 games to Tony Lazzeri's 1,740. Tony Lazzeri's edges on the table are home runs (178 to 117). At the plate, Ty Cobb walked more often than struck out (1,249 walks, 680 strikeouts), and Tony Lazzeri walked more often than struck out (869 walks, 864 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Tony Lazzeri's hits: 117 of 4,189 for Ty Cobb, 178 of 1,840 for Tony Lazzeri. Ty Cobb was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Ty Cobb vs Tony Lazzeri: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ty Cobb or Tony Lazzeri?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ty Cobb leads Tony Lazzeri in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ty Cobb or Tony Lazzeri hit more home runs?
- Tony Lazzeri, with 178 to Ty Cobb's 117.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ty Cobb, with .945 to Tony Lazzeri's .846.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ty Cobb, with .366 to Tony Lazzeri's .292.
- Who had more hits?
- Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Tony Lazzeri's 1,840.