Charlie Gehringer vs Joe Medwick: Career Stats Comparison
Charlie Gehringer has the better career line of the two, leading 11 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; Joe Medwick played 1932–1948 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 Joe Medwick (1932–1948) — 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; Joe Medwick finished with 2,471 hits and 205 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Joe Medwick, with 205 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS? Charlie Gehringer, with .884 to Joe Medwick's .867.
- Who had the higher batting average? Joe Medwick, with .324 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits? Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Joe Medwick's 2,471.
- Who drove in more runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 1,427 to Joe Medwick's 1,383.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Charlie Gehringer, with 39,288 career PIV to Joe Medwick's 28,897.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Charlie Gehringer
Joe Medwick
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Gehringer and Joe Medwick. 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 | Joe Medwick |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,323 | 1,984 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,860 | 7,635 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,774 | 1,198 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,839 | 2,471 |
| Doubles | Leads: 574 | 540 |
| Triples | Leads: 146 | 113 |
| Home Runs | 184 | Leads: 205 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,427 | 1,383 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,186 | 437 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 372 | 551 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 181 | 42 |
| Batting Avg | .320 | Leads: .324 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .404 | .362 |
| Slugging % | .480 | Leads: .505 |
| OPS | Leads: .884 | .867 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Charlie Gehringer outpaces Joe Medwick 39,288 to 28,897 — driven by per-season impact — 2,068 PIV per season to 1,445 — rather than by longevity, since Charlie Gehringer played 19 seasons to Joe Medwick's 20. 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
Joe Medwick — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Charlie Gehringer leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Joe Medwick owns home runs and batting average. 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 Joe Medwick careers compare
The careers of Charlie Gehringer (1924–1942) and Joe Medwick (1932–1948) overlapped from 1932 to 1942, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,323 games against 1,984 across 19 and 20 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Joe Medwick's edges on the table are home runs (205 to 184), batting average (.324 to .320), and slugging percentage (.505 to .480). Plate discipline differs: Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts), but Joe Medwick struck out more than walked (551 to 437).
Charlie Gehringer vs Joe Medwick: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Gehringer or Joe Medwick?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Charlie Gehringer leads Joe Medwick in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Charlie Gehringer or Joe Medwick hit more home runs?
- Joe Medwick, with 205 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Charlie Gehringer, with .884 to Joe Medwick's .867.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Joe Medwick, with .324 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Joe Medwick's 2,471.