Ed Delahanty vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner 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). Ed Delahanty played 1888–1903 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
Ed Delahanty (1888–1903) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1880s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ed Delahanty finished with 2,597 hits and 101 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? Neither — both are at 101.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ed Delahanty, with .917 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ed Delahanty, with .346 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Ed Delahanty's 2,597.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Ed Delahanty's 1,466.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to Ed Delahanty's 44,188.
- Who won more championships? Honus Wagner, with 1 World Series title to Ed Delahanty's 0.
Ed Delahanty
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ed Delahanty 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 1880s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ed Delahanty | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,837 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 7,510 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 1,600 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,597 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 522 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 186 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | 101 | 101 |
| RBI | 1,466 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | 742 | Leads: 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 439 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 456 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .346 | .328 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .411 | .391 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .505 | .467 |
| OPS | Leads: .917 | .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Ed Delahanty 59,177 to 44,188 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 2,762, across 21 seasons to 16. 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).
Ed Delahanty — top 3 seasons by OPS
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Ed Delahanty owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. 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 Ed Delahanty and Honus Wagner careers compare
The careers of Ed Delahanty (1888–1903) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) overlapped from 1897 to 1903, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Ed Delahanty appeared in 1,837 games to Honus Wagner's 2,794. The green cells for Ed Delahanty are batting average (.346 to .328), on-base percentage (.411 to .391), and slugging percentage (.505 to .467). Ed Delahanty walked more often than struck out (742 walks, 439 strikeouts); Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts).
Ed Delahanty vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ed Delahanty or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads Ed Delahanty in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ed Delahanty or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Neither — both are at 101.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ed Delahanty, with .917 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ed Delahanty, with .346 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Ed Delahanty's 2,597.