Bobby Doerr vs Josh Gibson: Career Stats Comparison
Bobby Doerr has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Bobby Doerr played 1937–1951 as a hitter; Josh Gibson played ?–1946 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
Bobby Doerr (1937–1951) and Josh Gibson (?–1946) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Bobby Doerr finished with 2,042 hits and 223 home runs; Josh Gibson finished with 1,007 hits and 197 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Bobby Doerr, with 223 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Bobby Doerr's .823.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Gibson, with .364 to Bobby Doerr's .288.
- Who had more hits? Bobby Doerr, with 2,042 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.
- Who drove in more runs? Bobby Doerr, with 1,247 to Josh Gibson's 872.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Josh Gibson, with 28,319 career PIV to Bobby Doerr's 21,613.
- Who won more championships? Josh Gibson, with 2 World Series titles to Bobby Doerr's 0.
Bobby Doerr
Josh Gibson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bobby Doerr and Josh Gibson. 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 | Bobby Doerr | Josh Gibson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,865 | 766 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,093 | 2,768 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,094 | 733 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,042 | 1,007 |
| Doubles | Leads: 381 | 170 |
| Triples | Leads: 89 | 72 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 223 | 197 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,247 | 872 |
| Walks | Leads: 809 | 400 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 608 | 20 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 54 | 44 |
| Batting Avg | .288 | Leads: .364 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .446 |
| Slugging % | .461 | Leads: .691 |
| OPS | .823 | Leads: 1.136 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Josh Gibson leads Bobby Doerr 28,319 to 21,613 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,666 PIV per season to 1,544, across 17 seasons to 14. 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).
Bobby Doerr — top 3 seasons by OPS
Josh Gibson
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Bobby Doerr leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Josh Gibson owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bobby Doerr. Note that PIV actually grades Josh Gibson ahead, which means Bobby Doerr's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Bobby Doerr and Josh Gibson careers compare
Bobby Doerr and Josh Gibson were active at the same time between 1946 and 1946. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Bobby Doerr appeared in 1,865 games to Josh Gibson's 766. The green cells for Josh Gibson are batting average (.364 to .288), on-base percentage (.446 to .362), and slugging percentage (.691 to .461). Bobby Doerr walked more often than struck out (809 walks, 608 strikeouts); Josh Gibson walked more often than struck out (400 walks, 20 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Josh Gibson's hits: 223 of 2,042 for Bobby Doerr, 197 of 1,007 for Josh Gibson.
Bobby Doerr vs Josh Gibson: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bobby Doerr or Josh Gibson?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Bobby Doerr leads Josh Gibson in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bobby Doerr or Josh Gibson hit more home runs?
- Bobby Doerr, with 223 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Bobby Doerr's .823.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Gibson, with .364 to Bobby Doerr's .288.
- Who had more hits?
- Bobby Doerr, with 2,042 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.