Joe Gordon vs Tony Lazzeri: Career Stats Comparison

Joe Gordon (1938–1950) and Tony Lazzeri (1926–1939) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Joe Gordon finished with 1,530 hits and 253 home runs; Tony Lazzeri finished with 1,840 hits and 178 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Joe Gordon

Hitter · 1938–1950
Games
1,566
Hits
1,530
Home Runs
253
RBI
975
Avg
.268
OPS
.822
View Joe Gordon's full profile →

Tony Lazzeri

Hitter · 1926–1939
Games
1,740
Hits
1,840
Home Runs
178
RBI
1,191
Avg
.292
OPS
.846
View Tony Lazzeri's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Joe Gordon and Tony Lazzeri. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Joe Gordon Tony Lazzeri
Games 1,566 1,740
At-Bats 5,707 6,297
Runs 914 986
Hits 1,530 1,840
Doubles 264 334
Triples 52 115
Home Runs 253 178
RBI 975 1,191
Walks 759 869
Strikeouts 702 864
Stolen Bases 89 148
Batting Avg .268 .292
On-Base % .357 .380
Slugging % .466 .467
OPS .822 .846

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tony Lazzeri edges Joe Gordon 19,403 to 18,128 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,294 vs 1,648 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Joe Gordon
18,128
Career PIV · 1,648 per season (11 seasons)
Tony Lazzeri
19,403
Career PIV · 1,294 per season (15 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Joe Gordon — top 3 seasons by OPS

1942.900 OPS18 HR, 103 RBI, .322 avg
1948.879 OPS32 HR, 124 RBI, .280 avg
1939.876 OPS28 HR, 111 RBI, .284 avg

Tony Lazzeri — top 3 seasons by OPS

1929.991 OPS18 HR, 106 RBI, .354 avg
1928.932 OPS10 HR, 82 RBI, .332 avg
1932.905 OPS15 HR, 113 RBI, .300 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Tony Lazzeri leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Joe Gordon owns home runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tony Lazzeri. PIV agrees: Tony Lazzeri grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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