Joe DiMaggio vs Buck Leonard: Career Stats Comparison
Joe DiMaggio 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). Joe DiMaggio played 1936–1951 as a hitter; Buck Leonard played ?–1948 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
Joe DiMaggio (1936–1951) and Buck Leonard (?–1948) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Joe DiMaggio finished with 2,214 hits and 361 home runs; Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 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 Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Joe DiMaggio's .977.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buck Leonard, with .343 to Joe DiMaggio's .325.
- Who had more hits? Joe DiMaggio, with 2,214 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Joe DiMaggio, with 1,537 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Joe DiMaggio, with 47,427 career PIV to Buck Leonard's 19,107.
- Who won more championships? Joe DiMaggio, with 9 World Series titles to Buck Leonard's 3.
Joe DiMaggio
Buck Leonard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Joe DiMaggio and Buck Leonard. 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 | Joe DiMaggio | Buck Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,736 | 641 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 6,821 | 2,300 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,390 | 567 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,214 | 790 |
| Doubles | Leads: 389 | 153 |
| Triples | Leads: 131 | 52 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 361 | 100 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,537 | 578 |
| Walks | Leads: 790 | 419 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 369 | 14 |
| Stolen Bases | 30 | Leads: 32 |
| Batting Avg | .325 | Leads: .343 |
| On-Base % | .398 | Leads: .449 |
| Slugging % | .579 | Leads: .586 |
| OPS | .977 | Leads: 1.034 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Joe DiMaggio outpaces Buck Leonard 47,427 to 19,107 — driven by per-season impact — 3,648 PIV per season to 1,274 — rather than by longevity, since Joe DiMaggio played 13 seasons to Buck Leonard's 15. 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).
Joe DiMaggio — top 3 seasons by OPS
Buck Leonard
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Joe DiMaggio leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Buck Leonard owns stolen bases, batting average, 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
How the Joe DiMaggio and Buck Leonard careers compare
From 1948 through 1948, Joe DiMaggio and Buck Leonard were in the majors together. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Joe DiMaggio appeared in 1,736 games to Buck Leonard's 641. At the plate, Joe DiMaggio walked more often than struck out (790 walks, 369 strikeouts), and Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts). Buck Leonard's slugging percentage of .586 tops Joe DiMaggio's .579. Buck Leonard has no qualifying season for the peak list, while Joe DiMaggio's best is 1939.
Joe DiMaggio vs Buck Leonard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Joe DiMaggio or Buck Leonard?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Joe DiMaggio leads Buck Leonard in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Joe DiMaggio or Buck Leonard hit more home runs?
- Joe DiMaggio, with 361 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Joe DiMaggio's .977.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buck Leonard, with .343 to Joe DiMaggio's .325.
- Who had more hits?
- Joe DiMaggio, with 2,214 to Buck Leonard's 790.