Josh Gibson vs Lance Parrish: Career Stats Comparison
Lance Parrish has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Josh Gibson played ?–1946 as a hitter; Lance Parrish played 1977–1995 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 Lance Parrish (1977–1995) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Josh Gibson finished with 1,007 hits and 197 home runs; Lance Parrish finished with 1,782 hits and 324 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Lance Parrish, with 324 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Gibson, with .364 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits? Lance Parrish, with 1,782 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.
- Who drove in more runs? Lance Parrish, with 1,070 to Josh Gibson's 872.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Josh Gibson, with 28,319 career PIV to Lance Parrish's 6,792.
- Who won more championships? Josh Gibson, with 2 World Series titles to Lance Parrish's 1.
Josh Gibson
Lance Parrish
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Gibson and Lance Parrish. 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 | Lance Parrish |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 766 | Leads: 1,988 |
| At-Bats | 2,768 | Leads: 7,067 |
| Runs | 733 | Leads: 856 |
| Hits | 1,007 | Leads: 1,782 |
| Doubles | 170 | Leads: 305 |
| Triples | Leads: 72 | 27 |
| Home Runs | 197 | Leads: 324 |
| RBI | 872 | Leads: 1,070 |
| Walks | 400 | Leads: 612 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 20 | 1,527 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 44 | 28 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .364 | .252 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .446 | .313 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .691 | .440 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.136 | .753 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Josh Gibson outpaces Lance Parrish 28,319 to 6,792 — driven by per-season impact — 1,666 PIV per season to 340 — rather than by longevity, since Josh Gibson played 17 seasons to Lance Parrish's 20. 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.
Lance Parrish — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Josh Gibson leads in stolen bases, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Lance Parrish owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Josh Gibson. PIV agrees: Josh Gibson 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 Lance Parrish careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Josh Gibson's ended in 1946, and Lance Parrish debuted in 1977. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Josh Gibson appeared in 766 games to Lance Parrish's 1,988. Plate discipline differs: Josh Gibson walked more often than struck out (400 walks, 20 strikeouts), but Lance Parrish struck out more than walked (1,527 to 612). In slugging percentage, Josh Gibson holds the edge, .691 to .440. Only Lance Parrish has a season on the peak list; Josh Gibson never reached the qualifying workload.
Josh Gibson vs Lance Parrish: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Gibson or Lance Parrish?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lance Parrish leads Josh Gibson in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Gibson or Lance Parrish hit more home runs?
- Lance Parrish, with 324 to Josh Gibson's 197.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Gibson, with .364 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits?
- Lance Parrish, with 1,782 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.