Johnny Evers vs Tony Lazzeri: Career Stats Comparison
Tony Lazzeri has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Johnny Evers played 1902–1929 as a hitter; Tony Lazzeri played 1926–1939 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
Johnny Evers (1902–1929) and Tony Lazzeri (1926–1939) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Johnny Evers finished with 1,659 hits and 12 home runs; Tony Lazzeri finished with 1,840 hits and 178 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Tony Lazzeri, with 178 to Johnny Evers's 12.
- Who had the higher OPS? Tony Lazzeri, with .846 to Johnny Evers's .690.
- Who had the higher batting average? Tony Lazzeri, with .292 to Johnny Evers's .270.
- Who had more hits? Tony Lazzeri, with 1,840 to Johnny Evers's 1,659.
- Who drove in more runs? Tony Lazzeri, with 1,191 to Johnny Evers's 538.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Tony Lazzeri, with 19,403 career PIV to Johnny Evers's 11,366.
- Who won more championships? Tony Lazzeri, with 5 World Series titles to Johnny Evers's 3.
Johnny Evers
Tony Lazzeri
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Johnny Evers and Tony Lazzeri. 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 1900s and the 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Johnny Evers | Tony Lazzeri |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,784 | 1,740 |
| At-Bats | 6,137 | Leads: 6,297 |
| Runs | 919 | Leads: 986 |
| Hits | 1,659 | Leads: 1,840 |
| Doubles | 216 | Leads: 334 |
| Triples | 70 | Leads: 115 |
| Home Runs | 12 | Leads: 178 |
| RBI | 538 | Leads: 1,191 |
| Walks | 778 | Leads: 869 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 293 | 864 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 324 | 148 |
| Batting Avg | .270 | Leads: .292 |
| On-Base % | .356 | Leads: .380 |
| Slugging % | .334 | Leads: .467 |
| OPS | .690 | Leads: .846 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tony Lazzeri outpaces Johnny Evers 19,403 to 11,366 — driven by per-season impact — 1,294 PIV per season to 598 — rather than by longevity, since Tony Lazzeri played 15 seasons to Johnny Evers's 19. 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).
Johnny Evers — top 3 seasons by OPS
Tony Lazzeri — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Tony Lazzeri leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Johnny Evers owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tony Lazzeri. PIV agrees: Tony Lazzeri grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Johnny Evers and Tony Lazzeri careers compare
The careers of Johnny Evers (1902–1929) and Tony Lazzeri (1926–1939) overlapped from 1926 to 1929, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,784 games for Johnny Evers and 1,740 for Tony Lazzeri across 19 and 15 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Johnny Evers's edges on the table are games (1,784 to 1,740) and stolen bases (324 to 148). Johnny Evers walked more often than struck out (778 walks, 293 strikeouts); Tony Lazzeri walked more often than struck out (869 walks, 864 strikeouts).
Johnny Evers vs Tony Lazzeri: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Johnny Evers or Tony Lazzeri?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Tony Lazzeri leads Johnny Evers in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Johnny Evers or Tony Lazzeri hit more home runs?
- Tony Lazzeri, with 178 to Johnny Evers's 12.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Tony Lazzeri, with .846 to Johnny Evers's .690.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Tony Lazzeri, with .292 to Johnny Evers's .270.
- Who had more hits?
- Tony Lazzeri, with 1,840 to Johnny Evers's 1,659.