Joe DiMaggio vs Charlie Keller: Career Stats Comparison

Joe DiMaggio (1936–1951) and Charlie Keller (1939–1952) — both broke in during the 1930s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Joe DiMaggio finished with 2,214 hits and 361 home runs; Charlie Keller finished with 1,085 hits and 189 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

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 →

Charlie Keller

Hitter · 1939–1952
Games
1,170
Hits
1,085
Home Runs
189
RBI
760
Avg
.286
OPS
.928
View Charlie Keller's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Joe DiMaggio Charlie Keller
Games 1,736 1,170
At-Bats 6,821 3,790
Runs 1,390 725
Hits 2,214 1,085
Doubles 389 166
Triples 131 72
Home Runs 361 189
RBI 1,537 760
Walks 790 784
Strikeouts 369 499
Stolen Bases 30 45
Batting Avg .325 .286
On-Base % .398 .410
Slugging % .579 .518
OPS .977 .928

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Joe DiMaggio outpaces Charlie Keller 47,427 to 25,963 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,648 vs 1,997 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Joe DiMaggio
47,427
Career PIV · 3,648 per season (13 seasons)
Charlie Keller
25,963
Career PIV · 1,997 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).

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

Charlie Keller — top 3 seasons by OPS

1941.996 OPS33 HR, 122 RBI, .298 avg
1939.947 OPS11 HR, 83 RBI, .334 avg
1946.938 OPS30 HR, 101 RBI, .275 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Joe DiMaggio leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Charlie Keller owns stolen bases and OBP. 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

See These Players in Another Era