Larry Doby vs Bob Johnson: Career Stats Comparison

Larry Doby (1947–1959) and Bob Johnson (1933–1945) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Larry Doby finished with 1,697 hits and 273 home runs; Bob Johnson finished with 2,051 hits and 288 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Larry Doby

Hitter · 1947–1959
Games
1,674
Hits
1,697
Home Runs
273
RBI
1,093
Avg
.288
OPS
.888
View Larry Doby's full profile →

Bob Johnson

Hitter · 1933–1945
Games
1,863
Hits
2,051
Home Runs
288
RBI
1,283
Avg
.296
OPS
.899
View Bob Johnson's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Larry Doby and Bob Johnson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Larry Doby Bob Johnson
Games 1,674 1,863
At-Bats 5,883 6,920
Runs 1,080 1,239
Hits 1,697 2,051
Doubles 277 396
Triples 72 95
Home Runs 273 288
RBI 1,093 1,283
Walks 945 1,075
Strikeouts 1,012 851
Stolen Bases 64 96
Batting Avg .288 .296
On-Base % .389 .393
Slugging % .499 .506
OPS .888 .899

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bob Johnson leads Larry Doby 37,613 to 28,857 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,893 vs 1,519 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Larry Doby
28,857
Career PIV · 1,519 per season (19 seasons)
Bob Johnson
37,613
Career PIV · 2,893 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).

Larry Doby — top 3 seasons by OPS

1950.986 OPS25 HR, 102 RBI, .326 avg
1951.941 OPS20 HR, 69 RBI, .295 avg
1952.924 OPS32 HR, 104 RBI, .276 avg

Bob Johnson — top 3 seasons by OPS

1939.993 OPS23 HR, 114 RBI, .338 avg
1937.981 OPS25 HR, 108 RBI, .306 avg
1938.959 OPS30 HR, 113 RBI, .313 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Bob Johnson leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Larry Doby owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bob Johnson. PIV agrees: Bob Johnson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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