Charlie Gehringer vs Buck Leonard: 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; Buck Leonard played ?–1948 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 Buck Leonard (?–1948) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Charlie Gehringer finished with 2,839 hits and 184 home runs; Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 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 Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buck Leonard, with .343 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits? Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 1,427 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Charlie Gehringer, with 39,288 career PIV to Buck Leonard's 19,107.
- Who won more championships? Buck Leonard, with 3 World Series titles to Charlie Gehringer's 1.
Charlie Gehringer
Buck Leonard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Gehringer and Buck Leonard. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Charlie Gehringer | Buck Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,323 | 641 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,860 | 2,300 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,774 | 567 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,839 | 790 |
| Doubles | Leads: 574 | 153 |
| Triples | Leads: 146 | 52 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 184 | 100 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,427 | 578 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,186 | 419 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 372 | 14 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 181 | 32 |
| Batting Avg | .320 | Leads: .343 |
| On-Base % | .404 | Leads: .449 |
| Slugging % | .480 | Leads: .586 |
| OPS | .884 | Leads: 1.034 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Charlie Gehringer outpaces Buck Leonard 39,288 to 19,107 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,068 PIV per season to 1,274, across 19 seasons to 15. 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
Buck Leonard
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Charlie Gehringer leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Buck Leonard owns batting average, OBP, and 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 Buck Leonard careers compare
No season is shared: Charlie Gehringer played 1924–1942, Buck Leonard ?–1948. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Charlie Gehringer appeared in 2,323 games to Buck Leonard's 641. The green cells for Buck Leonard are batting average (.343 to .320), on-base percentage (.449 to .404), and slugging percentage (.586 to .480). Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts); Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts). Buck Leonard is the more power-leaning hitter, with 100 of 790 hits leaving the park. Charlie Gehringer was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Charlie Gehringer vs Buck Leonard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Gehringer or Buck Leonard?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Charlie Gehringer leads Buck Leonard in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Charlie Gehringer or Buck Leonard hit more home runs?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 184 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buck Leonard, with .343 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Buck Leonard's 790.