Jimmie Foxx vs Joe Gordon: Career Stats Comparison
Jimmie Foxx has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Jimmie Foxx played 1925–1945 as a hitter; Joe Gordon played 1938–1950 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
Jimmie Foxx (1925–1945) and Joe Gordon (1938–1950) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jimmie Foxx finished with 2,646 hits and 534 home runs; Joe Gordon finished with 1,530 hits and 253 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Jimmie Foxx, with 534 to Joe Gordon's 253.
- Who had the higher OPS? Jimmie Foxx, with 1.038 to Joe Gordon's .822.
- Who had the higher batting average? Jimmie Foxx, with .325 to Joe Gordon's .268.
- Who had more hits? Jimmie Foxx, with 2,646 to Joe Gordon's 1,530.
- Who drove in more runs? Jimmie Foxx, with 1,922 to Joe Gordon's 975.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Jimmie Foxx, with 72,872 career PIV to Joe Gordon's 18,128.
- Who won more championships? Joe Gordon, with 5 World Series titles to Jimmie Foxx's 2.
Jimmie Foxx
Joe Gordon
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jimmie Foxx and Joe Gordon. 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 1920s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Jimmie Foxx | Joe Gordon |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,317 | 1,566 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,134 | 5,707 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,751 | 914 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,646 | 1,530 |
| Doubles | Leads: 458 | 264 |
| Triples | Leads: 125 | 52 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 534 | 253 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,922 | 975 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,452 | 759 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,311 | 702 |
| Stolen Bases | 87 | Leads: 89 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .325 | .268 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .428 | .357 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .609 | .466 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.038 | .822 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jimmie Foxx outpaces Joe Gordon 72,872 to 18,128 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,470 PIV per season to 1,648, across 21 seasons to 11. 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).
Jimmie Foxx — top 3 seasons by OPS
Joe Gordon — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jimmie Foxx leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Joe Gordon owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jimmie Foxx. PIV agrees: Jimmie Foxx grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jimmie Foxx and Joe Gordon careers compare
The careers of Jimmie Foxx (1925–1945) and Joe Gordon (1938–1950) overlapped from 1938 to 1945, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,317 games for Jimmie Foxx and 1,566 for Joe Gordon across 21 and 11 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Joe Gordon's edges on the table are stolen bases (89 to 87). At the plate, Jimmie Foxx walked more often than struck out (1,452 walks, 1,311 strikeouts), and Joe Gordon walked more often than struck out (759 walks, 702 strikeouts).
Jimmie Foxx vs Joe Gordon: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jimmie Foxx or Joe Gordon?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Jimmie Foxx leads Joe Gordon in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jimmie Foxx or Joe Gordon hit more home runs?
- Jimmie Foxx, with 534 to Joe Gordon's 253.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Jimmie Foxx, with 1.038 to Joe Gordon's .822.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Jimmie Foxx, with .325 to Joe Gordon's .268.
- Who had more hits?
- Jimmie Foxx, with 2,646 to Joe Gordon's 1,530.