Josh Gibson vs Hank Greenberg: Career Stats Comparison
Hank Greenberg 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). Josh Gibson played ?–1946 as a hitter; Hank Greenberg played 1930–1947 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
Josh Gibson (?–1946) and Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Josh Gibson finished with 1,007 hits and 197 home runs; Hank Greenberg finished with 1,628 hits and 331 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Hank Greenberg, with 331 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Hank Greenberg's 1.017.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Gibson, with .364 to Hank Greenberg's .313.
- Who had more hits? Hank Greenberg, with 1,628 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.
- Who drove in more runs? Hank Greenberg, with 1,276 to Josh Gibson's 872.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Hank Greenberg, with 43,523 career PIV to Josh Gibson's 28,319.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 2 World Series titles.
Josh Gibson
Hank Greenberg
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Gibson and Hank Greenberg. 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 | Josh Gibson | Hank Greenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 766 | Leads: 1,394 |
| At-Bats | 2,768 | Leads: 5,193 |
| Runs | 733 | Leads: 1,051 |
| Hits | 1,007 | Leads: 1,628 |
| Doubles | 170 | Leads: 379 |
| Triples | Leads: 72 | 71 |
| Home Runs | 197 | Leads: 331 |
| RBI | 872 | Leads: 1,276 |
| Walks | 400 | Leads: 852 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 20 | 844 |
| Stolen Bases | 44 | Leads: 58 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .364 | .313 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .446 | .412 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .691 | .605 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.136 | 1.017 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Greenberg outpaces Josh Gibson 43,523 to 28,319 — driven by per-season impact — 3,348 PIV per season to 1,666 — rather than by longevity, since Hank Greenberg played 13 seasons to Josh Gibson's 17. 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).
Josh Gibson
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Hank Greenberg — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Hank Greenberg leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Josh Gibson owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Greenberg. PIV agrees: Hank Greenberg grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Josh Gibson and Hank Greenberg careers compare
The careers of Josh Gibson (?–1946) and Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) overlapped from 1946 to 1946, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Josh Gibson appeared in 766 games to Hank Greenberg's 1,394. At the plate, Josh Gibson walked more often than struck out (400 walks, 20 strikeouts), and Hank Greenberg walked more often than struck out (852 walks, 844 strikeouts). In on-base percentage, Josh Gibson holds the edge, .446 to .412. Only Hank Greenberg has a season on the peak list; Josh Gibson never reached the qualifying workload.
Josh Gibson vs Hank Greenberg: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Gibson or Hank Greenberg?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Hank Greenberg leads Josh Gibson in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Gibson or Hank Greenberg hit more home runs?
- Hank Greenberg, with 331 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Hank Greenberg's 1.017.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Gibson, with .364 to Hank Greenberg's .313.
- Who had more hits?
- Hank Greenberg, with 1,628 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.