Charlie Gehringer vs Hank Greenberg: Career Stats Comparison
Charlie Gehringer has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Charlie Gehringer played 1924–1942 as a hitter; Hank Greenberg played 1930–1947 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
Charlie Gehringer (1924–1942) and Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Charlie Gehringer finished with 2,839 hits and 184 home runs; Hank Greenberg finished with 1,628 hits and 331 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Hank Greenberg, with 331 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS? Hank Greenberg, with 1.017 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Charlie Gehringer, with .320 to Hank Greenberg's .313.
- Who had more hits? Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Hank Greenberg's 1,628.
- Who drove in more runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 1,427 to Hank Greenberg's 1,276.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Hank Greenberg, with 43,523 career PIV to Charlie Gehringer's 39,288.
- Who won more championships? Hank Greenberg, with 2 World Series titles to Charlie Gehringer's 1.
Charlie Gehringer
Hank Greenberg
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Gehringer and Hank Greenberg. 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 | Charlie Gehringer | Hank Greenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,323 | 1,394 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,860 | 5,193 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,774 | 1,051 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,839 | 1,628 |
| Doubles | Leads: 574 | 379 |
| Triples | Leads: 146 | 71 |
| Home Runs | 184 | Leads: 331 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,427 | 1,276 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,186 | 852 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 372 | 844 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 181 | 58 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .320 | .313 |
| On-Base % | .404 | Leads: .412 |
| Slugging % | .480 | Leads: .605 |
| OPS | .884 | Leads: 1.017 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Greenberg leads Charlie Gehringer 43,523 to 39,288 — driven by per-season impact — 3,348 PIV per season to 2,068 — rather than by longevity, since Hank Greenberg played 13 seasons to Charlie Gehringer'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).
Charlie Gehringer — top 3 seasons by OPS
Hank Greenberg — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Charlie Gehringer leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Hank Greenberg owns home runs, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Charlie Gehringer. Note that PIV actually grades Hank Greenberg ahead, which means Charlie Gehringer's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Charlie Gehringer and Hank Greenberg careers compare
From 1930 through 1942, Charlie Gehringer and Hank Greenberg were in the majors together. The table compares 2,323 games of Charlie Gehringer with 1,394 of Hank Greenberg across 19 and 13 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Hank Greenberg are home runs (331 to 184), on-base percentage (.412 to .404), and slugging percentage (.605 to .480). Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts); Hank Greenberg walked more often than struck out (852 walks, 844 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Hank Greenberg's hits: 184 of 2,839 for Charlie Gehringer, 331 of 1,628 for Hank Greenberg.
Charlie Gehringer vs Hank Greenberg: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Gehringer or Hank Greenberg?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Charlie Gehringer leads Hank Greenberg in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Charlie Gehringer or Hank Greenberg hit more home runs?
- Hank Greenberg, with 331 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Hank Greenberg, with 1.017 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Charlie Gehringer, with .320 to Hank Greenberg's .313.
- Who had more hits?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Hank Greenberg's 1,628.