Earle Combs vs Bill Dickey: Career Stats Comparison
Bill Dickey has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Earle Combs played 1924–1935 as a hitter; Bill Dickey played 1928–1946 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
Earle Combs (1924–1935) and Bill Dickey (1928–1946) — both broke in during the 1920s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Earle Combs finished with 1,866 hits and 58 home runs; Bill Dickey finished with 1,969 hits and 202 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Bill Dickey, with 202 to Earle Combs's 58.
- Who had the higher OPS? Bill Dickey, with .868 to Earle Combs's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Earle Combs, with .325 to Bill Dickey's .313.
- Who had more hits? Bill Dickey, with 1,969 to Earle Combs's 1,866.
- Who drove in more runs? Bill Dickey, with 1,209 to Earle Combs's 632.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Bill Dickey, with 23,944 career PIV to Earle Combs's 19,222.
- Who won more championships? Bill Dickey, with 8 World Series titles to Earle Combs's 3.
Earle Combs
Bill Dickey
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Earle Combs and Bill Dickey. 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 | Earle Combs | Bill Dickey |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | Leads: 1,789 |
| At-Bats | 5,746 | Leads: 6,300 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,186 | 930 |
| Hits | 1,866 | Leads: 1,969 |
| Doubles | 309 | Leads: 343 |
| Triples | Leads: 154 | 72 |
| Home Runs | 58 | Leads: 202 |
| RBI | 632 | Leads: 1,209 |
| Walks | 670 | Leads: 678 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 278 | 289 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 96 | 37 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .325 | .313 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .397 | .382 |
| Slugging % | .462 | Leads: .486 |
| OPS | .859 | Leads: .868 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bill Dickey leads Earle Combs 23,944 to 19,222 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Bill Dickey played 17 seasons to Earle Combs's 12, while Earle Combs carries the higher per-season figure (1,602 to 1,408). 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).
Earle Combs — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bill Dickey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Bill Dickey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and OPS, while Earle Combs owns runs, stolen bases, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bill Dickey. PIV agrees: Bill Dickey grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Earle Combs and Bill Dickey careers compare
Earle Combs and Bill Dickey were active at the same time between 1928 and 1935. The two careers are close in length, 1,455 games for Earle Combs and 1,789 for Bill Dickey across 12 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Earle Combs walked more often than struck out (670 walks, 278 strikeouts), and Bill Dickey walked more often than struck out (678 walks, 289 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Bill Dickey's hits: 58 of 1,866 for Earle Combs, 202 of 1,969 for Bill Dickey. Bill Dickey's slugging percentage of .486 tops Earle Combs's .462.
Earle Combs vs Bill Dickey: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Earle Combs or Bill Dickey?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Bill Dickey leads Earle Combs in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Earle Combs or Bill Dickey hit more home runs?
- Bill Dickey, with 202 to Earle Combs's 58.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Bill Dickey, with .868 to Earle Combs's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Earle Combs, with .325 to Bill Dickey's .313.
- Who had more hits?
- Bill Dickey, with 1,969 to Earle Combs's 1,866.