Charlie Gehringer vs Turkey Stearnes: Career Stats Comparison
Charlie Gehringer has the better career line of the two, leading 9 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; Turkey Stearnes played ?–1940 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 Turkey Stearnes (?–1940) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Charlie Gehringer finished with 2,839 hits and 184 home runs; Turkey Stearnes finished with 1,372 hits and 195 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Turkey Stearnes, with 195 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS? Turkey Stearnes, with 1.033 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Turkey Stearnes, with .347 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits? Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.
- Who drove in more runs? Charlie Gehringer, with 1,427 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,038.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Charlie Gehringer, with 39,288 career PIV to Turkey Stearnes's 28,010.
- Who won more championships? Charlie Gehringer, with 1 World Series title to Turkey Stearnes's 0.
Charlie Gehringer
Turkey Stearnes
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Gehringer and Turkey Stearnes. 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 | Turkey Stearnes |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,323 | 1,034 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,860 | 3,959 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,774 | 961 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,839 | 1,372 |
| Doubles | Leads: 574 | 243 |
| Triples | Leads: 146 | 122 |
| Home Runs | 184 | Leads: 195 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,427 | 1,038 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,186 | 429 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 372 | 11 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 181 | 141 |
| Batting Avg | .320 | Leads: .347 |
| On-Base % | .404 | Leads: .416 |
| Slugging % | .480 | Leads: .617 |
| OPS | .884 | Leads: 1.033 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Charlie Gehringer outpaces Turkey Stearnes 39,288 to 28,010 — driven by per-season impact — 2,068 PIV per season to 1,273 — rather than by longevity, since Charlie Gehringer played 19 seasons to Turkey Stearnes's 22. 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
Turkey Stearnes — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Charlie Gehringer leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Turkey Stearnes owns home runs, batting average, and OBP. 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 Turkey Stearnes careers compare
Charlie Gehringer and Turkey Stearnes were active at the same time between 1940 and 1940. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Charlie Gehringer appeared in 2,323 games to Turkey Stearnes's 1,034. At the plate, Charlie Gehringer walked more often than struck out (1,186 walks, 372 strikeouts), and Turkey Stearnes walked more often than struck out (429 walks, 11 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Turkey Stearnes's hits: 184 of 2,839 for Charlie Gehringer, 195 of 1,372 for Turkey Stearnes. On the bases, Turkey Stearnes stole more often per game played (181 steals in 2,323 games for Charlie Gehringer, 141 in 1,034 for Turkey Stearnes).
Charlie Gehringer vs Turkey Stearnes: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Gehringer or Turkey Stearnes?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Charlie Gehringer leads Turkey Stearnes in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Charlie Gehringer or Turkey Stearnes hit more home runs?
- Turkey Stearnes, with 195 to Charlie Gehringer's 184.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Turkey Stearnes, with 1.033 to Charlie Gehringer's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Turkey Stearnes, with .347 to Charlie Gehringer's .320.
- Who had more hits?
- Charlie Gehringer, with 2,839 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.