Josh Gibson vs Rogers Hornsby: Career Stats Comparison
Rogers Hornsby 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). Josh Gibson played ?–1946 as a hitter; Rogers Hornsby played 1915–1937 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 Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Josh Gibson finished with 1,007 hits and 197 home runs; Rogers Hornsby finished with 2,930 hits and 301 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Rogers Hornsby's 1.010.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Gibson, with .364 to Rogers Hornsby's .358.
- Who had more hits? Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.
- Who drove in more runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 1,584 to Josh Gibson's 872.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rogers Hornsby, with 68,443 career PIV to Josh Gibson's 28,319.
- Who won more championships? Josh Gibson, with 2 World Series titles to Rogers Hornsby's 1.
Josh Gibson
Rogers Hornsby
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Gibson and Rogers Hornsby. 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 | Rogers Hornsby |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 766 | Leads: 2,259 |
| At-Bats | 2,768 | Leads: 8,173 |
| Runs | 733 | Leads: 1,579 |
| Hits | 1,007 | Leads: 2,930 |
| Doubles | 170 | Leads: 541 |
| Triples | 72 | Leads: 169 |
| Home Runs | 197 | Leads: 301 |
| RBI | 872 | Leads: 1,584 |
| Walks | 400 | Leads: 1,038 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 20 | 679 |
| Stolen Bases | 44 | Leads: 135 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .364 | .358 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .446 | .434 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .691 | .577 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.136 | 1.010 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rogers Hornsby outpaces Josh Gibson 68,443 to 28,319 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,852 PIV per season to 1,666, across 24 seasons to 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.
Rogers Hornsby — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rogers Hornsby 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 Rogers Hornsby. PIV agrees: Rogers Hornsby 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 Rogers Hornsby careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Rogers Hornsby's ended in 1937, and Josh Gibson debuted in 1946. The table compares 766 games of Josh Gibson with 2,259 of Rogers Hornsby across 17 and 24 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Josh Gibson's edges on the table are batting average (.364 to .358), on-base percentage (.446 to .434), and slugging percentage (.691 to .577). Josh Gibson walked more often than struck out (400 walks, 20 strikeouts); Rogers Hornsby walked more often than struck out (1,038 walks, 679 strikeouts). Josh Gibson is the more power-leaning hitter, with 197 of 1,007 hits leaving the park.
Josh Gibson vs Rogers Hornsby: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Gibson or Rogers Hornsby?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rogers Hornsby leads Josh Gibson in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Gibson or Rogers Hornsby hit more home runs?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Rogers Hornsby's 1.010.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Gibson, with .364 to Rogers Hornsby's .358.
- Who had more hits?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.