Billy Hamilton vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner 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). Billy Hamilton played 1888–1901 as a hitter; Honus Wagner played 1897–1917 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
Billy Hamilton (1888–1901) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1880s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Billy Hamilton finished with 2,164 hits and 40 home runs; Honus Wagner finished with 3,420 hits and 101 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Honus Wagner, with 101 to Billy Hamilton's 40.
- Who had the higher OPS? Billy Hamilton, with .888 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average? Billy Hamilton, with .344 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Billy Hamilton's 2,164.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Billy Hamilton's 742.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to Billy Hamilton's 38,004.
- Who won more championships? Honus Wagner, with 1 World Series title to Billy Hamilton's 0.
Billy Hamilton
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Billy Hamilton and Honus Wagner. 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, and the 1880s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Billy Hamilton | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,594 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 6,283 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 1,697 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,164 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 242 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 95 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | 40 | Leads: 101 |
| RBI | 742 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,189 | 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 362 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 914 | 723 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .344 | .328 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .455 | .391 |
| Slugging % | .432 | Leads: .467 |
| OPS | Leads: .888 | .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Billy Hamilton 59,177 to 38,004 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 2,715, across 21 seasons to 14. 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).
Billy Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Billy Hamilton owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Honus Wagner. PIV agrees: Honus Wagner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Billy Hamilton and Honus Wagner careers compare
From 1897 through 1901, Billy Hamilton and Honus Wagner were in the majors together. The table compares 1,594 games of Billy Hamilton with 2,794 of Honus Wagner across 14 and 21 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Billy Hamilton walked more often than struck out (1,189 walks, 362 strikeouts); Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Honus Wagner's hits: 40 of 2,164 for Billy Hamilton, 101 of 3,420 for Honus Wagner. On the bases, Billy Hamilton stole more often per game played (914 steals in 1,594 games for Billy Hamilton, 723 in 2,794 for Honus Wagner).
Billy Hamilton vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Billy Hamilton or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads Billy Hamilton in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Billy Hamilton or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Honus Wagner, with 101 to Billy Hamilton's 40.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Billy Hamilton, with .888 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Billy Hamilton, with .344 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Billy Hamilton's 2,164.