Josh Donaldson vs Bob Elliott: Career Stats Comparison
Bob Elliott has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Josh Donaldson played 2010–2023 as a hitter; Bob Elliott played 1939–1953 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
Josh Donaldson (2010–2023) and Bob Elliott (1939–1953) — they broke in during the 2010s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Josh Donaldson finished with 1,310 hits and 279 home runs; Bob Elliott finished with 2,061 hits and 170 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Josh Donaldson, with 279 to Bob Elliott's 170.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Donaldson, with .847 to Bob Elliott's .815.
- Who had the higher batting average? Bob Elliott, with .289 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits? Bob Elliott, with 2,061 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.
- Who drove in more runs? Bob Elliott, with 1,195 to Josh Donaldson's 816.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Bob Elliott, with 22,824 career PIV to Josh Donaldson's 18,424.
Josh Donaldson
Bob Elliott
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Donaldson and Bob Elliott. 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, and the 2010s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Josh Donaldson | Bob Elliott |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,384 | Leads: 1,978 |
| At-Bats | 5,022 | Leads: 7,141 |
| Runs | 816 | Leads: 1,064 |
| Hits | 1,310 | Leads: 2,061 |
| Doubles | 287 | Leads: 382 |
| Triples | 12 | Leads: 94 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 279 | 170 |
| RBI | 816 | Leads: 1,195 |
| Walks | 725 | Leads: 967 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,221 | 604 |
| Stolen Bases | 40 | Leads: 60 |
| Batting Avg | .261 | Leads: .289 |
| On-Base % | .358 | Leads: .375 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .489 | .440 |
| OPS | Leads: .847 | .815 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bob Elliott leads Josh Donaldson 22,824 to 18,424 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,427 PIV per season to 1,228, across 16 seasons to 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).
Josh Donaldson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bob Elliott — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Bob Elliott leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Josh Donaldson owns home runs and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bob Elliott. PIV agrees: Bob Elliott grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Josh Donaldson and Bob Elliott careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Bob Elliott's ended in 1953, and Josh Donaldson debuted in 2010. The two careers are close in length, 1,384 games for Josh Donaldson and 1,978 for Bob Elliott across 15 and 16 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Josh Donaldson comes out ahead, it is in home runs (279 to 170), slugging percentage (.489 to .440), and OPS (.847 to .815). At the plate, Josh Donaldson struck out more than walked (1,221 to 725), while Bob Elliott walked more often than struck out (967 walks, 604 strikeouts).
Josh Donaldson vs Bob Elliott: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Donaldson or Bob Elliott?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Bob Elliott leads Josh Donaldson in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Donaldson or Bob Elliott hit more home runs?
- Josh Donaldson, with 279 to Bob Elliott's 170.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Donaldson, with .847 to Bob Elliott's .815.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Bob Elliott, with .289 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits?
- Bob Elliott, with 2,061 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.