Harry Heilmann vs Zack Wheat: Career Stats Comparison

Harry Heilmann has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Harry Heilmann played 1914–1932 as a hitter; Zack Wheat played 1909–1927 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

Harry Heilmann (1914–1932) and Zack Wheat (1909–1927) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1900s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Harry Heilmann finished with 2,660 hits and 183 home runs; Zack Wheat finished with 2,884 hits and 132 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Harry Heilmann, with 183 to Zack Wheat's 132.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Harry Heilmann, with .930 to Zack Wheat's .817.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Harry Heilmann, with .342 to Zack Wheat's .317.
  • Who had more hits? Zack Wheat, with 2,884 to Harry Heilmann's 2,660.
  • Who drove in more runs? Harry Heilmann, with 1,539 to Zack Wheat's 1,248.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Harry Heilmann, with 46,791 career PIV to Zack Wheat's 30,370.
Leads Harry Heilmann 9 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Harry Heilmann +16,421
Read the 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 →

Zack Wheat

Hitter · 1909–1927
Games
2,410
Hits
2,884
Home Runs
132
RBI
1,248
Avg
.317
OPS
.817
View Zack Wheat's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harry Heilmann and Zack Wheat. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Harry Heilmann vs Zack Wheat: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Harry Heilmann Zack Wheat
Games 2,148 Leads: 2,410
At-Bats 7,787 Leads: 9,106
Runs Leads: 1,291 1,289
Hits 2,660 Leads: 2,884
Doubles Leads: 542 476
Triples 151 Leads: 172
Home Runs Leads: 183 132
RBI Leads: 1,539 1,248
Walks Leads: 856 650
Strikeouts 550 572
Stolen Bases 113 Leads: 205
Batting Avg Leads: .342 .317
On-Base % Leads: .410 .367
Slugging % Leads: .520 .450
OPS Leads: .930 .817

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harry Heilmann outpaces Zack Wheat 46,791 to 30,370 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,752 vs 1,598 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)
Zack Wheat
30,370
Career PIV · 1,598 per season (19 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

Zack Wheat — top 3 seasons by OPS

1924.978 OPS14 HR, 97 RBI, .375 avg
1925.944 OPS14 HR, 103 RBI, .359 avg
1923.927 OPS8 HR, 65 RBI, .375 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

Harry Heilmann vs Zack Wheat: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Harry Heilmann or Zack Wheat?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Harry Heilmann leads Zack Wheat in 9 of 14 categories.
Did Harry Heilmann or Zack Wheat hit more home runs?
Harry Heilmann, with 183 to Zack Wheat's 132.
Who had the higher OPS?
Harry Heilmann, with .930 to Zack Wheat's .817.
Who had the higher batting average?
Harry Heilmann, with .342 to Zack Wheat's .317.
Who had more hits?
Zack Wheat, with 2,884 to Harry Heilmann's 2,660.

See These Players in Another Era