Josh Gibson vs Mel Ott: Career Stats Comparison
Mel Ott 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; Mel Ott played 1926–1947 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 Mel Ott (1926–1947) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Josh Gibson finished with 1,007 hits and 197 home runs; Mel Ott finished with 2,876 hits and 511 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Mel Ott, with 511 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Mel Ott's .947.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Gibson, with .364 to Mel Ott's .304.
- Who had more hits? Mel Ott, with 2,876 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.
- Who drove in more runs? Mel Ott, with 1,860 to Josh Gibson's 872.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Mel Ott, with 64,873 career PIV to Josh Gibson's 28,319.
- Who won more championships? Josh Gibson, with 2 World Series titles to Mel Ott's 1.
Josh Gibson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Gibson and Mel Ott. 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 | Mel Ott |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 766 | Leads: 2,730 |
| At-Bats | 2,768 | Leads: 9,456 |
| Runs | 733 | Leads: 1,859 |
| Hits | 1,007 | Leads: 2,876 |
| Doubles | 170 | Leads: 488 |
| Triples | 72 | 72 |
| Home Runs | 197 | Leads: 511 |
| RBI | 872 | Leads: 1,860 |
| Walks | 400 | Leads: 1,708 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 20 | 896 |
| Stolen Bases | 44 | Leads: 89 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .364 | .304 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .446 | .414 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .691 | .533 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.136 | .947 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mel Ott outpaces Josh Gibson 64,873 to 28,319 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,949 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.
Mel Ott — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Mel Ott 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 Mel Ott. PIV agrees: Mel Ott 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 Mel Ott careers compare
The careers of Josh Gibson (?–1946) and Mel Ott (1926–1947) 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 Mel Ott's 2,730. Josh Gibson's edges on the table are batting average (.364 to .304), on-base percentage (.446 to .414), and slugging percentage (.691 to .533). Josh Gibson walked more often than struck out (400 walks, 20 strikeouts); Mel Ott walked more often than struck out (1,708 walks, 896 strikeouts). In on-base percentage, Josh Gibson holds the edge, .446 to .414.
Josh Gibson vs Mel Ott: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Gibson or Mel Ott?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Mel Ott leads Josh Gibson in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Gibson or Mel Ott hit more home runs?
- Mel Ott, with 511 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Mel Ott's .947.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Gibson, with .364 to Mel Ott's .304.
- Who had more hits?
- Mel Ott, with 2,876 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.