Rick Ferrell vs Ernie Lombardi: Career Stats Comparison

Rick Ferrell (1929–1947) and Ernie Lombardi (1931–1947) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Rick Ferrell finished with 1,692 hits and 28 home runs; Ernie Lombardi finished with 1,792 hits and 190 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 →

Ernie Lombardi

Hitter · 1931–1947
Games
1,853
Hits
1,792
Home Runs
190
RBI
990
Avg
.306
OPS
.818
View Ernie Lombardi's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Rick Ferrell Ernie Lombardi
Games 1,884 1,853
At-Bats 6,028 5,855
Runs 687 601
Hits 1,692 1,792
Doubles 324 277
Triples 45 27
Home Runs 28 190
RBI 734 990
Walks 931 430
Strikeouts 277 262
Stolen Bases 29 8
Batting Avg .281 .306
On-Base % .378 .358
Slugging % .363 .460
OPS .741 .818

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ernie Lombardi outpaces Rick Ferrell 15,583 to 6,474 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (917 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)
Ernie Lombardi
15,583
Career PIV · 917 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

Ernie Lombardi — top 3 seasons by OPS

1935.918 OPS12 HR, 64 RBI, .343 avg
1938.915 OPS19 HR, 95 RBI, .342 avg
1942.886 OPS11 HR, 46 RBI, .330 avg

Verdict

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

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