Hank Greenberg vs Rudy York: Career Stats Comparison

Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) and Rudy York (1934–1948) — both broke in during the 1930s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Hank Greenberg finished with 1,628 hits and 331 home runs; Rudy York finished with 1,621 hits and 277 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Hank Greenberg

Hitter · 1930–1947
Games
1,394
Hits
1,628
Home Runs
331
RBI
1,276
Avg
.313
OPS
1.017
View Hank Greenberg's full profile →

Rudy York

Hitter · 1934–1948
Games
1,603
Hits
1,621
Home Runs
277
RBI
1,152
Avg
.275
OPS
.845
View Rudy York's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Hank Greenberg and Rudy York. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Hank Greenberg Rudy York
Games 1,394 1,603
At-Bats 5,193 5,891
Runs 1,051 876
Hits 1,628 1,621
Doubles 379 291
Triples 71 52
Home Runs 331 277
RBI 1,276 1,152
Walks 852 792
Strikeouts 844 867
Stolen Bases 58 38
Batting Avg .313 .275
On-Base % .412 .362
Slugging % .605 .483
OPS 1.017 .845

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Greenberg outpaces Rudy York 43,523 to 24,140 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,348 vs 1,724 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Hank Greenberg
43,523
Career PIV · 3,348 per season (13 seasons)
Rudy York
24,140
Career PIV · 1,724 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Hank Greenberg — top 3 seasons by OPS

19381.122 OPS58 HR, 146 RBI, .315 avg
19371.105 OPS40 HR, 183 RBI, .337 avg
19401.103 OPS41 HR, 150 RBI, .340 avg

Rudy York — top 3 seasons by OPS

19371.026 OPS35 HR, 103 RBI, .307 avg
1938.995 OPS33 HR, 127 RBI, .298 avg
1940.993 OPS33 HR, 134 RBI, .316 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Hank Greenberg leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Rudy York owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Greenberg. PIV agrees: Hank Greenberg grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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