Joe DiMaggio vs Babe Herman: Career Stats Comparison
Joe DiMaggio (1936–1951) and Babe Herman (1926–1945) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Joe DiMaggio finished with 2,214 hits and 361 home runs; Babe Herman finished with 1,818 hits and 181 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Joe DiMaggio
Babe Herman
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Joe DiMaggio and Babe Herman. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Joe DiMaggio | Babe Herman |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,736 | 1,552 |
| At-Bats | 6,821 | 5,603 |
| Runs | 1,390 | 882 |
| Hits | 2,214 | 1,818 |
| Doubles | 389 | 399 |
| Triples | 131 | 110 |
| Home Runs | 361 | 181 |
| RBI | 1,537 | 997 |
| Walks | 790 | 520 |
| Strikeouts | 369 | 553 |
| Stolen Bases | 30 | 94 |
| Batting Avg | .325 | .324 |
| On-Base % | .398 | .383 |
| Slugging % | .579 | .532 |
| OPS | .977 | .915 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Joe DiMaggio outpaces Babe Herman 47,427 to 25,837 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,648 vs 1,845 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Joe DiMaggio — top 3 seasons by OPS
Babe Herman — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Joe DiMaggio leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Babe Herman 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.