Charlie Gehringer vs Rogers Hornsby: Career Stats Comparison
Rogers Hornsby has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Charlie Gehringer played 1924–1942 as a hitter; Rogers Hornsby played 1915–1937 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 Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) — 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; Rogers Hornsby finished with 2,930 hits and 301 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS? Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits? Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Charlie Gehringer's 2,839.
- Who drove in more runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 1,584 to Charlie Gehringer's 1,427.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rogers Hornsby, with 68,443 career PIV to Charlie Gehringer's 39,288.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Charlie Gehringer
Rogers Hornsby
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Gehringer and Rogers Hornsby. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Charlie Gehringer | Rogers Hornsby |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,323 | 2,259 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,860 | 8,173 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,774 | 1,579 |
| Hits | 2,839 | Leads: 2,930 |
| Doubles | Leads: 574 | 541 |
| Triples | 146 | Leads: 169 |
| Home Runs | 184 | Leads: 301 |
| RBI | 1,427 | Leads: 1,584 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,186 | 1,038 |
| Strikeouts | 372 | 679 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 181 | 135 |
| Batting Avg | .320 | Leads: .358 |
| On-Base % | .404 | Leads: .434 |
| Slugging % | .480 | Leads: .577 |
| OPS | .884 | Leads: 1.010 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rogers Hornsby outpaces Charlie Gehringer 68,443 to 39,288 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,852 vs 2,068 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Rogers Hornsby — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rogers Hornsby leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average, while Charlie Gehringer owns runs and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rogers Hornsby. PIV agrees: Rogers Hornsby grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Charlie Gehringer vs Rogers Hornsby: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Gehringer or Rogers Hornsby?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rogers Hornsby leads Charlie Gehringer in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Charlie Gehringer or Rogers Hornsby hit more home runs?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Charlie Gehringer's 2,839.