Larry Doby vs Al Simmons: Career Stats Comparison

Larry Doby (1947–1959) and Al Simmons (1924–1944) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Larry Doby finished with 1,697 hits and 273 home runs; Al Simmons finished with 2,927 hits and 307 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 →

Al Simmons

Hitter · 1924–1944
Games
2,215
Hits
2,927
Home Runs
307
RBI
1,827
Avg
.334
OPS
.915
View Al Simmons's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Larry Doby Al Simmons
Games 1,674 2,215
At-Bats 5,883 8,759
Runs 1,080 1,507
Hits 1,697 2,927
Doubles 277 539
Triples 72 149
Home Runs 273 307
RBI 1,093 1,827
Walks 945 615
Strikeouts 1,012 737
Stolen Bases 64 88
Batting Avg .288 .334
On-Base % .389 .380
Slugging % .499 .535
OPS .888 .915

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Simmons outpaces Larry Doby 40,529 to 28,857 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,930 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)
Al Simmons
40,529
Career PIV · 1,930 per season (21 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

Al Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS

19301.130 OPS36 HR, 165 RBI, .381 avg
19311.085 OPS22 HR, 128 RBI, .390 avg
19271.081 OPS15 HR, 108 RBI, .392 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Al Simmons leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Larry Doby owns OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Al Simmons. PIV agrees: Al Simmons grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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