Bill Dickey vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison
Paul Waner 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; 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
Bill Dickey (1928–1946) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) — both broke in during the 1920s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Bill Dickey finished with 1,969 hits and 202 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? Bill Dickey, with 202 to Paul Waner's 113.
- Who had the higher OPS? Paul Waner, with .878 to Bill Dickey's .868.
- Who had the higher batting average? Paul Waner, with .333 to Bill Dickey's .313.
- Who had more hits? Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Bill Dickey's 1,969.
- Who drove in more runs? Paul Waner, with 1,309 to Bill Dickey's 1,209.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Paul Waner, with 40,296 career PIV to Bill Dickey's 23,944.
- Who won more championships? Bill Dickey, with 8 World Series titles to Paul Waner's 0.
Bill Dickey
Paul Waner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bill Dickey 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 | Bill Dickey | Paul Waner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,789 | Leads: 2,549 |
| At-Bats | 6,300 | Leads: 9,459 |
| Runs | 930 | Leads: 1,627 |
| Hits | 1,969 | Leads: 3,152 |
| Doubles | 343 | Leads: 605 |
| Triples | 72 | Leads: 191 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 202 | 113 |
| RBI | 1,209 | Leads: 1,309 |
| Walks | 678 | Leads: 1,091 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 289 | 376 |
| Stolen Bases | 37 | Leads: 104 |
| Batting Avg | .313 | Leads: .333 |
| On-Base % | .382 | Leads: .404 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .486 | .473 |
| OPS | .868 | Leads: .878 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Bill Dickey 40,296 to 23,944 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,832 PIV per season to 1,408, across 22 seasons to 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).
Bill Dickey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Paul Waner leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Bill Dickey owns home runs. 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 Bill Dickey and Paul Waner careers compare
The careers of Bill Dickey (1928–1946) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) overlapped from 1928 to 1945, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,789 games for Bill Dickey and 2,549 for Paul Waner across 17 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Bill Dickey's edges on the table are home runs (202 to 113) and slugging percentage (.486 to .473). At the plate, Bill Dickey walked more often than struck out (678 walks, 289 strikeouts), and Paul Waner walked more often than struck out (1,091 walks, 376 strikeouts).
Bill Dickey vs Paul Waner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bill Dickey or Paul Waner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Paul Waner leads Bill Dickey in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bill Dickey or Paul Waner hit more home runs?
- Bill Dickey, with 202 to Paul Waner's 113.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Paul Waner, with .878 to Bill Dickey's .868.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Paul Waner, with .333 to Bill Dickey's .313.
- Who had more hits?
- Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Bill Dickey's 1,969.