Harry Heilmann vs Mel Ott: Career Stats Comparison

Harry Heilmann (1914–1932) and Mel Ott (1926–1947) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Harry Heilmann finished with 2,660 hits and 183 home runs; Mel Ott finished with 2,876 hits and 511 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Harry Heilmann

Hitter · 1914–1932
Games
2,148
Hits
2,660
Home Runs
183
RBI
1,539
Avg
.342
OPS
.930
View Harry Heilmann's full profile →

Mel Ott

Hitter · 1926–1947
Games
2,730
Hits
2,876
Home Runs
511
RBI
1,860
Avg
.304
OPS
.947
View Mel Ott's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harry Heilmann and Mel Ott. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Harry Heilmann Mel Ott
Games 2,148 2,730
At-Bats 7,787 9,456
Runs 1,291 1,859
Hits 2,660 2,876
Doubles 542 488
Triples 151 72
Home Runs 183 511
RBI 1,539 1,860
Walks 856 1,708
Strikeouts 550 896
Stolen Bases 113 89
Batting Avg .342 .304
On-Base % .410 .414
Slugging % .520 .533
OPS .930 .947

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mel Ott outpaces Harry Heilmann 64,873 to 46,791 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,949 vs 2,752 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Harry Heilmann
46,791
Career PIV · 2,752 per season (17 seasons)
Mel Ott
64,873
Career PIV · 2,949 per season (22 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Harry Heilmann — top 3 seasons by OPS

19231.113 OPS18 HR, 115 RBI, .403 avg
19271.091 OPS14 HR, 120 RBI, .398 avg
19211.051 OPS19 HR, 139 RBI, .394 avg

Mel Ott — top 3 seasons by OPS

19291.084 OPS42 HR, 151 RBI, .328 avg
19301.036 OPS25 HR, 119 RBI, .349 avg
19361.036 OPS33 HR, 135 RBI, .328 avg

Verdict

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

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