Josh Gibson vs Buster Posey: Career Stats Comparison
Josh Gibson 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; Buster Posey played 2009–2021 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 Buster Posey (2009–2021) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Josh Gibson finished with 1,007 hits and 197 home runs; Buster Posey finished with 1,500 hits and 158 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Josh Gibson, with 197 to Buster Posey's 158.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Buster Posey's .831.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Gibson, with .364 to Buster Posey's .302.
- Who had more hits? Buster Posey, with 1,500 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.
- Who drove in more runs? Josh Gibson, with 872 to Buster Posey's 729.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Josh Gibson, with 28,319 career PIV to Buster Posey's 15,615.
- Who won more championships? Buster Posey, with 3 World Series titles to Josh Gibson's 2.
Josh Gibson
Buster Posey
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Gibson and Buster Posey. 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 | Buster Posey |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 766 | Leads: 1,371 |
| At-Bats | 2,768 | Leads: 4,970 |
| Runs | Leads: 733 | 663 |
| Hits | 1,007 | Leads: 1,500 |
| Doubles | 170 | Leads: 293 |
| Triples | Leads: 72 | 9 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 197 | 158 |
| RBI | Leads: 872 | 729 |
| Walks | 400 | Leads: 540 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 20 | 721 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 44 | 23 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .364 | .302 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .446 | .372 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .691 | .460 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.136 | .831 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Josh Gibson outpaces Buster Posey 28,319 to 15,615 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,666 PIV per season to 1,301, across 17 seasons to 12. 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.
Buster Posey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Josh Gibson leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Buster Posey owns hits. 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 Buster Posey careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Josh Gibson's ended in 1946, and Buster Posey debuted in 2009. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Josh Gibson appeared in 766 games to Buster Posey's 1,371. At the plate, Josh Gibson walked more often than struck out (400 walks, 20 strikeouts), while Buster Posey struck out more than walked (721 to 540). Home runs make up a larger share of Josh Gibson's hits: 197 of 1,007 for Josh Gibson, 158 of 1,500 for Buster Posey. Josh Gibson's on-base percentage of .446 tops Buster Posey's .372. Josh Gibson has no qualifying season for the peak list, while Buster Posey's best is 2012.
Josh Gibson vs Buster Posey: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Gibson or Buster Posey?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Josh Gibson leads Buster Posey in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Gibson or Buster Posey hit more home runs?
- Josh Gibson, with 197 to Buster Posey's 158.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Gibson, with 1.136 to Buster Posey's .831.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Gibson, with .364 to Buster Posey's .302.
- Who had more hits?
- Buster Posey, with 1,500 to Josh Gibson's 1,007.