Charlie Gehringer vs Monte Irvin: Career Stats Comparison
Charlie Gehringer has the better career line of the two, leading 12 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; Monte Irvin played 1949–1956 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 Monte Irvin (1949–1956) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Charlie Gehringer finished with 2,839 hits and 184 home runs; Monte Irvin finished with 1,091 hits and 140 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 Monte Irvin's 140.
- Who had the higher OPS? Monte Irvin, with .886 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Charlie Gehringer, with .320 to Monte Irvin's .306.
- Who had more hits? Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Monte Irvin's 1,091.
- Who drove in more runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 1,427 to Monte Irvin's 693.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Charlie Gehringer, with 39,288 career PIV to Monte Irvin's 15,659.
- Who won more championships? Monte Irvin, with 2 World Series titles to Charlie Gehringer's 1.
Charlie Gehringer
Monte Irvin
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Gehringer and Monte Irvin. 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 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Charlie Gehringer | Monte Irvin |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,323 | 1,055 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,860 | 3,570 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,774 | 593 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,839 | 1,091 |
| Doubles | Leads: 574 | 159 |
| Triples | Leads: 146 | 46 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 184 | 140 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,427 | 693 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,186 | 484 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 372 | 231 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 181 | 54 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .320 | .306 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .404 | .392 |
| Slugging % | .480 | Leads: .494 |
| OPS | .884 | Leads: .886 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Charlie Gehringer outpaces Monte Irvin 39,288 to 15,659 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,068 PIV per season to 870, across 19 seasons to 18. 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
Monte Irvin — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Charlie Gehringer leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Monte Irvin owns OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Charlie Gehringer. PIV agrees: Charlie Gehringer 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 Monte Irvin careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Charlie Gehringer's ended in 1942, and Monte Irvin debuted in 1949. Charlie Gehringer has the far longer record, 2,323 games against 1,055 across 19 and 18 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Monte Irvin are slugging percentage (.494 to .480) and OPS (.886 to .884). At the plate, Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts), and Monte Irvin walked more often than struck out (484 walks, 231 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Monte Irvin's hits: 184 of 2,839 for Charlie Gehringer, 140 of 1,091 for Monte Irvin.
Charlie Gehringer vs Monte Irvin: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Gehringer or Monte Irvin?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Charlie Gehringer leads Monte Irvin in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Charlie Gehringer or Monte Irvin hit more home runs?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 184 to Monte Irvin's 140.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Monte Irvin, with .886 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Charlie Gehringer, with .320 to Monte Irvin's .306.
- Who had more hits?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Monte Irvin's 1,091.