Ty Cobb vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Ty Cobb has the better career line of the two, leading 14 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; Honus Wagner played 1897–1917 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 Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ty Cobb finished with 4,189 hits and 117 home runs; Honus Wagner finished with 3,420 hits and 101 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ty Cobb, with 117 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ty Cobb, with .945 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ty Cobb, with .366 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits? Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Honus Wagner's 3,420.
- Who drove in more runs? Ty Cobb, with 1,944 to Honus Wagner's 1,733.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ty Cobb, with 87,488 career PIV to Honus Wagner's 59,177.
- Who won more championships? Honus Wagner, with 1 World Series title to Ty Cobb's 0.
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. 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 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ty Cobb | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,035 | 2,794 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 11,436 | 10,439 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,247 | 1,739 |
| Hits | Leads: 4,189 | 3,420 |
| Doubles | Leads: 724 | 643 |
| Triples | Leads: 295 | 252 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 117 | 101 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,944 | 1,733 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,249 | 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 680 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 896 | 723 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .366 | .328 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .433 | .391 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .512 | .467 |
| OPS | Leads: .945 | .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ty Cobb outpaces Honus Wagner 87,488 to 59,177 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,645 PIV per season to 2,818, across 24 seasons to 21. 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
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ty Cobb leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Honus Wagner owns no headline categories. 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 Honus Wagner careers compare
From 1905 through 1917, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner were in the majors together. With 3,035 games against 2,794 across 24 and 21 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Ty Cobb leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Ty Cobb walked more often than struck out (1,249 walks, 680 strikeouts), and Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). Ty Cobb was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. On the peak-season lists, Ty Cobb's best year is 1911 at 1.088 OPS and Honus Wagner's is 1900 at 1.007 OPS; Ty Cobb has the stronger single season.
Ty Cobb vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ty Cobb or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ty Cobb leads Honus Wagner in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ty Cobb or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Ty Cobb, with 117 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ty Cobb, with .945 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ty Cobb, with .366 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Ty Cobb, with 4,189 to Honus Wagner's 3,420.