Larry Doby vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison

Larry Doby (1947–1959) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) — 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; Paul Waner finished with 3,152 hits and 113 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 →

Paul Waner

Hitter · 1926–1945
Games
2,549
Hits
3,152
Home Runs
113
RBI
1,309
Avg
.333
OPS
.878
View Paul Waner's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Larry Doby Paul Waner
Games 1,674 2,549
At-Bats 5,883 9,459
Runs 1,080 1,627
Hits 1,697 3,152
Doubles 277 605
Triples 72 191
Home Runs 273 113
RBI 1,093 1,309
Walks 945 1,091
Strikeouts 1,012 376
Stolen Bases 64 104
Batting Avg .288 .333
On-Base % .389 .404
Slugging % .499 .473
OPS .888 .878

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Larry Doby 40,296 to 28,857 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,832 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)
Paul Waner
40,296
Career PIV · 1,832 per season (22 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

Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS

1928.992 OPS6 HR, 86 RBI, .370 avg
1927.986 OPS9 HR, 131 RBI, .380 avg
1934.968 OPS14 HR, 90 RBI, .362 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Paul Waner leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Larry Doby owns home runs and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Paul Waner. PIV agrees: Paul Waner 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