Rick Ferrell vs Josh Gibson: Career Stats Comparison

Rick Ferrell (1929–1947) and Josh Gibson (?–1946) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Rick Ferrell finished with 1,692 hits and 28 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.

Rick Ferrell

Hitter · 1929–1947
Games
1,884
Hits
1,692
Home Runs
28
RBI
734
Avg
.281
OPS
.741
View Rick Ferrell's full profile →

Josh Gibson

Hitter · ?–1946
Games
766
Hits
1,007
Home Runs
197
RBI
872
Avg
.364
OPS
1.136
View Josh Gibson's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rick Ferrell and Josh Gibson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Rick Ferrell Josh Gibson
Games 1,884 766
At-Bats 6,028 2,768
Runs 687 733
Hits 1,692 1,007
Doubles 324 170
Triples 45 72
Home Runs 28 197
RBI 734 872
Walks 931 400
Strikeouts 277 20
Stolen Bases 29 44
Batting Avg .281 .364
On-Base % .378 .446
Slugging % .363 .691
OPS .741 1.136

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Josh Gibson outpaces Rick Ferrell 28,319 to 6,474 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,666 vs 308 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Rick Ferrell
6,474
Career PIV · 308 per season (21 seasons)
Josh Gibson
28,319
Career PIV · 1,666 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Rick Ferrell — top 3 seasons by OPS

1936.867 OPS8 HR, 55 RBI, .312 avg
1932.826 OPS2 HR, 65 RBI, .315 avg
1931.821 OPS3 HR, 57 RBI, .306 avg

Josh Gibson — top 0 seasons by OPS

Verdict

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

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