Earle Combs vs Billy Herman: Career Stats Comparison
Earle Combs has the better career line of the two, leading 8 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; Billy Herman played 1931–1947 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 Billy Herman (1931–1947) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Earle Combs finished with 1,866 hits and 58 home runs; Billy Herman finished with 2,345 hits and 47 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Earle Combs, with 58 to Billy Herman's 47.
- Who had the higher OPS? Earle Combs, with .859 to Billy Herman's .774.
- Who had the higher batting average? Earle Combs, with .325 to Billy Herman's .304.
- Who had more hits? Billy Herman, with 2,345 to Earle Combs's 1,866.
- Who drove in more runs? Billy Herman, with 839 to Earle Combs's 632.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Earle Combs, with 19,222 career PIV to Billy Herman's 12,844.
- Who won more championships? Earle Combs, with 3 World Series titles to Billy Herman's 0.
Earle Combs
Billy Herman
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Earle Combs and Billy Herman. 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 1920s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Earle Combs | Billy Herman |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | Leads: 1,922 |
| At-Bats | 5,746 | Leads: 7,707 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,186 | 1,163 |
| Hits | 1,866 | Leads: 2,345 |
| Doubles | 309 | Leads: 486 |
| Triples | Leads: 154 | 82 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 58 | 47 |
| RBI | 632 | Leads: 839 |
| Walks | 670 | Leads: 737 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 278 | 428 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 96 | 67 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .325 | .304 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .397 | .367 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .462 | .407 |
| OPS | Leads: .859 | .774 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Earle Combs outpaces Billy Herman 19,222 to 12,844 — driven by per-season impact — 1,602 PIV per season to 756 — rather than by longevity, since Earle Combs played 12 seasons to Billy Herman's 17. 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
Billy Herman — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Earle Combs leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Billy Herman owns hits and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Earle Combs. PIV agrees: Earle Combs 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 Billy Herman careers compare
The careers of Earle Combs (1924–1935) and Billy Herman (1931–1947) overlapped from 1931 to 1935, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,455 games for Earle Combs and 1,922 for Billy Herman across 12 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Earle Combs walked more often than struck out (670 walks, 278 strikeouts); Billy Herman walked more often than struck out (737 walks, 428 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Earle Combs's hits: 58 of 1,866 for Earle Combs, 47 of 2,345 for Billy Herman. In on-base percentage, Earle Combs holds the edge, .397 to .367.
Earle Combs vs Billy Herman: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Earle Combs or Billy Herman?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Earle Combs leads Billy Herman in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Earle Combs or Billy Herman hit more home runs?
- Earle Combs, with 58 to Billy Herman's 47.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Earle Combs, with .859 to Billy Herman's .774.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Earle Combs, with .325 to Billy Herman's .304.
- Who had more hits?
- Billy Herman, with 2,345 to Earle Combs's 1,866.