Ty Cobb vs Bill Terry: 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; Bill Terry played 1923–1936 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 Bill Terry (1923–1936) — 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; Bill Terry finished with 2,193 hits and 154 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Bill Terry, with 154 to Ty Cobb's 117.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ty Cobb, with .945 to Bill Terry's .899.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ty Cobb, with .366 to Bill Terry's .341.
- Who had more hits? Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Bill Terry's 2,193.
- Who drove in more runs? Ty Cobb, with 1,944 to Bill Terry's 1,078.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ty Cobb, with 87,488 career PIV to Bill Terry's 27,771.
- Who won more championships? Bill Terry, with 1 World Series title to Ty Cobb's 0.
Bill Terry
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ty Cobb and Bill Terry. 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 | Bill Terry |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,035 | 1,721 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 11,436 | 6,428 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,247 | 1,120 |
| Hits | Leads: 4,189 | 2,193 |
| Doubles | Leads: 724 | 373 |
| Triples | Leads: 295 | 112 |
| Home Runs | 117 | Leads: 154 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,944 | 1,078 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,249 | 537 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 680 | 449 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 896 | 56 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .366 | .341 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .433 | .393 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .512 | .506 |
| OPS | Leads: .945 | .899 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Bill Terry 87,488 to 27,771 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,645 PIV per season to 1,984, across 24 seasons to 14. 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
Bill Terry — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ty Cobb leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Bill Terry 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 Bill Terry careers compare
The careers of Ty Cobb (1905–1928) and Bill Terry (1923–1936) overlapped from 1923 to 1928, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Ty Cobb has the far longer record, 3,035 games against 1,721 across 24 and 14 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Bill Terry's edges on the table are home runs (154 to 117). Ty Cobb walked more often than struck out (1,249 walks, 680 strikeouts); Bill Terry walked more often than struck out (537 walks, 449 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Bill Terry's hits: 117 of 4,189 for Ty Cobb, 154 of 2,193 for Bill Terry.
Ty Cobb vs Bill Terry: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ty Cobb or Bill Terry?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ty Cobb leads Bill Terry in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ty Cobb or Bill Terry hit more home runs?
- Bill Terry, with 154 to Ty Cobb's 117.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ty Cobb, with .945 to Bill Terry's .899.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ty Cobb, with .366 to Bill Terry's .341.
- Who had more hits?
- Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Bill Terry's 2,193.