George Davis vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner 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). George Davis played 1890–1909 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
George Davis (1890–1909) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — both broke in during the 1890s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. George Davis finished with 2,665 hits and 73 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? Honus Wagner, with 101 to George Davis's 73.
- Who had the higher OPS? Honus Wagner, with .858 to George Davis's .767.
- Who had the higher batting average? Honus Wagner, with .328 to George Davis's .295.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to George Davis's 2,665.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to George Davis's 1,440.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to George Davis's 21,250.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
George Davis
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for George Davis 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | George Davis | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,372 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 9,045 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 1,545 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,665 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 453 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 163 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | 73 | Leads: 101 |
| RBI | 1,440 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | 874 | Leads: 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 613 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 619 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | .295 | Leads: .328 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .391 |
| Slugging % | .405 | Leads: .467 |
| OPS | .767 | Leads: .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces George Davis 59,177 to 21,250 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 1,062, across 21 seasons to 20. 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).
George Davis — top 3 seasons by OPS
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while George Davis owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Honus Wagner. PIV agrees: Honus Wagner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the George Davis and Honus Wagner careers compare
The careers of George Davis (1890–1909) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) overlapped from 1897 to 1909, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,372 games for George Davis and 2,794 for Honus Wagner across 20 and 21 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Honus Wagner leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, George Davis walked more often than struck out (874 walks, 613 strikeouts), and Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts).
George Davis vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, George Davis or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads George Davis in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did George Davis or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Honus Wagner, with 101 to George Davis's 73.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Honus Wagner, with .858 to George Davis's .767.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Honus Wagner, with .328 to George Davis's .295.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to George Davis's 2,665.