Earle Combs vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison
Paul Waner 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). Earle Combs played 1924–1935 as a hitter; Paul Waner played 1926–1945 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 Paul Waner (1926–1945) — 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; Paul Waner finished with 3,152 hits and 113 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Paul Waner, with 113 to Earle Combs's 58.
- Who had the higher OPS? Paul Waner, with .878 to Earle Combs's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Paul Waner, with .333 to Earle Combs's .325.
- Who had more hits? Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Earle Combs's 1,866.
- Who drove in more runs? Paul Waner, with 1,309 to Earle Combs's 632.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Paul Waner, with 40,296 career PIV to Earle Combs's 19,222.
- Who won more championships? Earle Combs, with 3 World Series titles to Paul Waner's 0.
Earle Combs
Paul Waner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Earle Combs and Paul Waner. 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 | Paul Waner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | Leads: 2,549 |
| At-Bats | 5,746 | Leads: 9,459 |
| Runs | 1,186 | Leads: 1,627 |
| Hits | 1,866 | Leads: 3,152 |
| Doubles | 309 | Leads: 605 |
| Triples | 154 | Leads: 191 |
| Home Runs | 58 | Leads: 113 |
| RBI | 632 | Leads: 1,309 |
| Walks | 670 | Leads: 1,091 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 278 | 376 |
| Stolen Bases | 96 | Leads: 104 |
| Batting Avg | .325 | Leads: .333 |
| On-Base % | .397 | Leads: .404 |
| Slugging % | .462 | Leads: .473 |
| OPS | .859 | Leads: .878 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Earle Combs 40,296 to 19,222 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,832 PIV per season to 1,602, across 22 seasons to 12. 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
Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Paul Waner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Earle Combs owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Paul Waner. PIV agrees: Paul Waner 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 Paul Waner careers compare
Earle Combs and Paul Waner were active at the same time between 1926 and 1935. Paul Waner has the far longer record, 2,549 games against 1,455 across 12 and 22 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Paul Waner leads every scored row of the table. Earle Combs walked more often than struck out (670 walks, 278 strikeouts); Paul Waner walked more often than struck out (1,091 walks, 376 strikeouts). On the bases, Earle Combs stole more often per game played (96 steals in 1,455 games for Earle Combs, 104 in 2,549 for Paul Waner).
Earle Combs vs Paul Waner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Earle Combs or Paul Waner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Paul Waner leads Earle Combs in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Earle Combs or Paul Waner hit more home runs?
- Paul Waner, with 113 to Earle Combs's 58.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Paul Waner, with .878 to Earle Combs's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Paul Waner, with .333 to Earle Combs's .325.
- Who had more hits?
- Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Earle Combs's 1,866.