Bill Dickey vs Joe DiMaggio: Career Stats Comparison

Joe DiMaggio has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Bill Dickey played 1928–1946 as a hitter; Joe DiMaggio played 1936–1951 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

Bill Dickey (1928–1946) and Joe DiMaggio (1936–1951) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Bill Dickey finished with 1,969 hits and 202 home runs; Joe DiMaggio finished with 2,214 hits and 361 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Joe DiMaggio, with 361 to Bill Dickey's 202.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Joe DiMaggio, with .977 to Bill Dickey's .868.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Joe DiMaggio, with .325 to Bill Dickey's .313.
  • Who had more hits? Joe DiMaggio, with 2,214 to Bill Dickey's 1,969.
  • Who drove in more runs? Joe DiMaggio, with 1,537 to Bill Dickey's 1,209.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Joe DiMaggio, with 47,427 career PIV to Bill Dickey's 23,944.
  • Who won more championships? Joe DiMaggio, with 9 World Series titles to Bill Dickey's 8.
Leads Joe DiMaggio 12 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Joe DiMaggio +23,483
Read the verdict ↓

Bill Dickey

Hitter · 1928–1946
Games
1,789
Hits
1,969
Home Runs
202
RBI
1,209
Avg
.313
OPS
.868
View Bill Dickey's full profile →

Joe DiMaggio

Hitter · 1936–1951
Games
1,736
Hits
2,214
Home Runs
361
RBI
1,537
Avg
.325
OPS
.977
View Joe DiMaggio's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bill Dickey and Joe DiMaggio. 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.

Bill Dickey vs Joe DiMaggio: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Bill Dickey Joe DiMaggio
Games Leads: 1,789 1,736
At-Bats 6,300 Leads: 6,821
Runs 930 Leads: 1,390
Hits 1,969 Leads: 2,214
Doubles 343 Leads: 389
Triples 72 Leads: 131
Home Runs 202 Leads: 361
RBI 1,209 Leads: 1,537
Walks 678 Leads: 790
Strikeouts not scored 289 369
Stolen Bases Leads: 37 30
Batting Avg .313 Leads: .325
On-Base % .382 Leads: .398
Slugging % .486 Leads: .579
OPS .868 Leads: .977

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Joe DiMaggio outpaces Bill Dickey 47,427 to 23,944 — driven by per-season impact — 3,648 PIV per season to 1,408 — rather than by longevity, since Joe DiMaggio played 13 seasons to Bill Dickey'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.

Bill Dickey
23,944
Career PIV · 1,408 per season (17 seasons)
Joe DiMaggio
47,427
Career PIV · 3,648 per season (13 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Bill Dickey — top 3 seasons by OPS

19361.045 OPS22 HR, 107 RBI, .362 avg
1937.987 OPS29 HR, 133 RBI, .332 avg
1938.981 OPS27 HR, 115 RBI, .313 avg

Joe DiMaggio — top 3 seasons by OPS

19391.119 OPS30 HR, 126 RBI, .381 avg
19371.085 OPS46 HR, 167 RBI, .346 avg
19411.083 OPS30 HR, 125 RBI, .357 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Joe DiMaggio leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Dickey owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Joe DiMaggio. PIV agrees: Joe DiMaggio grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Bill Dickey and Joe DiMaggio careers compare

The careers of Bill Dickey (1928–1946) and Joe DiMaggio (1936–1951) overlapped from 1936 to 1946, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 1,789 games against 1,736 across 17 and 13 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Bill Dickey are games (1,789 to 1,736) and stolen bases (37 to 30). At the plate, Bill Dickey walked more often than struck out (678 walks, 289 strikeouts), and Joe DiMaggio walked more often than struck out (790 walks, 369 strikeouts). Joe DiMaggio is the more power-leaning hitter, with 361 of 2,214 hits leaving the park. Joe DiMaggio's on-base percentage of .398 tops Bill Dickey's .382.

Bill Dickey vs Joe DiMaggio: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Bill Dickey or Joe DiMaggio?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Joe DiMaggio leads Bill Dickey in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Bill Dickey or Joe DiMaggio hit more home runs?
Joe DiMaggio, with 361 to Bill Dickey's 202.
Who had the higher OPS?
Joe DiMaggio, with .977 to Bill Dickey's .868.
Who had the higher batting average?
Joe DiMaggio, with .325 to Bill Dickey's .313.
Who had more hits?
Joe DiMaggio, with 2,214 to Bill Dickey's 1,969.

See These Players in Another Era