Josh Gibson vs Stan Musial: Career Stats Comparison
Stan Musial 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; Stan Musial played 1941–1963 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 Stan Musial (1941–1963) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Josh Gibson finished with 1,007 hits and 197 home runs; Stan Musial finished with 3,630 hits and 475 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Stan Musial, with 475 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Stan Musial's .976.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Gibson, with .364 to Stan Musial's .331.
- Who had more hits? Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.
- Who drove in more runs? Stan Musial, with 1,951 to Josh Gibson's 872.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Stan Musial, with 83,624 career PIV to Josh Gibson's 28,319.
- Who won more championships? Stan Musial, with 3 World Series titles to Josh Gibson's 2.
Josh Gibson
Stan Musial
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Gibson and Stan Musial. 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 | Stan Musial |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 766 | Leads: 3,026 |
| At-Bats | 2,768 | Leads: 10,972 |
| Runs | 733 | Leads: 1,949 |
| Hits | 1,007 | Leads: 3,630 |
| Doubles | 170 | Leads: 725 |
| Triples | 72 | Leads: 177 |
| Home Runs | 197 | Leads: 475 |
| RBI | 872 | Leads: 1,951 |
| Walks | 400 | Leads: 1,599 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 20 | 696 |
| Stolen Bases | 44 | Leads: 78 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .364 | .331 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .446 | .417 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .691 | .559 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.136 | .976 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Stan Musial outpaces Josh Gibson 83,624 to 28,319 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,801 PIV per season to 1,666, across 22 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.
Stan Musial — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Stan Musial 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 Stan Musial. PIV agrees: Stan Musial 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 Stan Musial careers compare
Josh Gibson and Stan Musial were active at the same time between 1946 and 1946. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Josh Gibson appeared in 766 games to Stan Musial's 3,026. The green cells for Josh Gibson are batting average (.364 to .331), on-base percentage (.446 to .417), and slugging percentage (.691 to .559). Josh Gibson walked more often than struck out (400 walks, 20 strikeouts); Stan Musial walked more often than struck out (1,599 walks, 696 strikeouts). Josh Gibson is the more power-leaning hitter, with 197 of 1,007 hits leaving the park. In on-base percentage, Josh Gibson holds the edge, .446 to .417.
Josh Gibson vs Stan Musial: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Gibson or Stan Musial?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Stan Musial leads Josh Gibson in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Gibson or Stan Musial hit more home runs?
- Stan Musial, with 475 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Stan Musial's .976.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Gibson, with .364 to Stan Musial's .331.
- Who had more hits?
- Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.