Charlie Gehringer vs Harry Heilmann: Career Stats Comparison
Charlie Gehringer has the better career line of the two, leading 8 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; Harry Heilmann played 1914–1932 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 Harry Heilmann (1914–1932) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Charlie Gehringer finished with 2,839 hits and 184 home runs; Harry Heilmann finished with 2,660 hits and 183 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 184 to Harry Heilmann's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS? Harry Heilmann, with .930 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Harry Heilmann, with .342 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits? Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Harry Heilmann's 2,660.
- Who drove in more runs? Harry Heilmann, with 1,539 to Charlie Gehringer's 1,427.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Harry Heilmann, with 46,791 career PIV to Charlie Gehringer's 39,288.
- Who won more championships? Charlie Gehringer, with 1 World Series title to Harry Heilmann's 0.
Charlie Gehringer
Harry Heilmann
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Gehringer and Harry Heilmann. 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 1910s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Charlie Gehringer | Harry Heilmann |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,323 | 2,148 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,860 | 7,787 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,774 | 1,291 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,839 | 2,660 |
| Doubles | Leads: 574 | 542 |
| Triples | 146 | Leads: 151 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 184 | 183 |
| RBI | 1,427 | Leads: 1,539 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,186 | 856 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 372 | 550 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 181 | 113 |
| Batting Avg | .320 | Leads: .342 |
| On-Base % | .404 | Leads: .410 |
| Slugging % | .480 | Leads: .520 |
| OPS | .884 | Leads: .930 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harry Heilmann leads Charlie Gehringer 46,791 to 39,288 — driven by per-season impact — 2,752 PIV per season to 2,068 — rather than by longevity, since Harry Heilmann played 17 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
Harry Heilmann — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Harry Heilmann leads in RBI, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Charlie Gehringer owns hits, home runs, and runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Harry Heilmann. PIV agrees: Harry Heilmann grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Charlie Gehringer and Harry Heilmann careers compare
The careers of Charlie Gehringer (1924–1942) and Harry Heilmann (1914–1932) overlapped from 1924 to 1932, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,323 games against 2,148 across 19 and 17 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts); Harry Heilmann walked more often than struck out (856 walks, 550 strikeouts). On the bases, Charlie Gehringer stole more often per game played (181 steals in 2,323 games for Charlie Gehringer, 113 in 2,148 for Harry Heilmann). Harry Heilmann's on-base percentage of .410 tops Charlie Gehringer's .404.
Charlie Gehringer vs Harry Heilmann: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Gehringer or Harry Heilmann?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Charlie Gehringer leads Harry Heilmann in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Charlie Gehringer or Harry Heilmann hit more home runs?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 184 to Harry Heilmann's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Harry Heilmann, with .930 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Harry Heilmann, with .342 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Harry Heilmann's 2,660.