Billy Herman vs Rogers Hornsby: Career Stats Comparison

Rogers Hornsby has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Billy Herman played 1931–1947 as a hitter; Rogers Hornsby played 1915–1937 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 Herman (1931–1947) and Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Billy Herman finished with 2,345 hits and 47 home runs; Rogers Hornsby finished with 2,930 hits and 301 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Billy Herman's 47.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Billy Herman's .774.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Billy Herman's .304.
  • Who had more hits? Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Billy Herman's 2,345.
  • Who drove in more runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 1,584 to Billy Herman's 839.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Rogers Hornsby, with 68,443 career PIV to Billy Herman's 12,844.
  • Who won more championships? Rogers Hornsby, with 1 World Series title to Billy Herman's 0.
Leads Rogers Hornsby 14 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Rogers Hornsby +55,599
Read the verdict ↓

Billy Herman

Hitter · 1931–1947
Games
1,922
Hits
2,345
Home Runs
47
RBI
839
Avg
.304
OPS
.774
View Billy Herman's full profile →

Rogers Hornsby

Hitter · 1915–1937
Games
2,259
Hits
2,930
Home Runs
301
RBI
1,584
Avg
.358
OPS
1.010
View Rogers Hornsby's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Billy Herman and Rogers Hornsby. 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 1930s and the 1910s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Billy Herman vs Rogers Hornsby: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Billy Herman Rogers Hornsby
Games 1,922 Leads: 2,259
At-Bats 7,707 Leads: 8,173
Runs 1,163 Leads: 1,579
Hits 2,345 Leads: 2,930
Doubles 486 Leads: 541
Triples 82 Leads: 169
Home Runs 47 Leads: 301
RBI 839 Leads: 1,584
Walks 737 Leads: 1,038
Strikeouts not scored 428 679
Stolen Bases 67 Leads: 135
Batting Avg .304 Leads: .358
On-Base % .367 Leads: .434
Slugging % .407 Leads: .577
OPS .774 Leads: 1.010

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rogers Hornsby outpaces Billy Herman 68,443 to 12,844 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,852 PIV per season to 756, across 24 seasons to 17. 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.

Billy Herman
12,844
Career PIV · 756 per season (17 seasons)
Rogers Hornsby
68,443
Career PIV · 2,852 per season (24 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Billy Herman — top 3 seasons by OPS

1937.875 OPS8 HR, 65 RBI, .335 avg
1936.862 OPS5 HR, 93 RBI, .334 avg
1935.859 OPS7 HR, 83 RBI, .341 avg

Rogers Hornsby — top 3 seasons by OPS

19251.245 OPS39 HR, 143 RBI, .403 avg
19241.203 OPS25 HR, 94 RBI, .424 avg
19221.181 OPS42 HR, 152 RBI, .401 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

How the Billy Herman and Rogers Hornsby careers compare

The careers of Billy Herman (1931–1947) and Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) overlapped from 1931 to 1937, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 1,922 games against 2,259 across 17 and 24 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Every scored category on the table goes to Rogers Hornsby. Billy Herman walked more often than struck out (737 walks, 428 strikeouts); Rogers Hornsby walked more often than struck out (1,038 walks, 679 strikeouts). Rogers Hornsby is the more power-leaning hitter, with 301 of 2,930 hits leaving the park. Rogers Hornsby was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Rogers Hornsby's slugging percentage of .577 tops Billy Herman's .407.

Billy Herman vs Rogers Hornsby: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Billy Herman or Rogers Hornsby?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Rogers Hornsby leads Billy Herman in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Billy Herman or Rogers Hornsby hit more home runs?
Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Billy Herman's 47.
Who had the higher OPS?
Rogers Hornsby, with 1.010 to Billy Herman's .774.
Who had the higher batting average?
Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Billy Herman's .304.
Who had more hits?
Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Billy Herman's 2,345.

See These Players in Another Era