Billy Herman vs Tony Lazzeri: Career Stats Comparison

Tony Lazzeri has the better career line of the two, leading 8 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; Tony Lazzeri played 1926–1939 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 Tony Lazzeri (1926–1939) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Billy Herman finished with 2,345 hits and 47 home runs; Tony Lazzeri finished with 1,840 hits and 178 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Tony Lazzeri, with 178 to Billy Herman's 47.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Tony Lazzeri, with .846 to Billy Herman's .774.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Billy Herman, with .304 to Tony Lazzeri's .292.
  • Who had more hits? Billy Herman, with 2,345 to Tony Lazzeri's 1,840.
  • Who drove in more runs? Tony Lazzeri, with 1,191 to Billy Herman's 839.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Tony Lazzeri, with 19,403 career PIV to Billy Herman's 12,844.
  • Who won more championships? Tony Lazzeri, with 5 World Series titles to Billy Herman's 0.
Leads Tony Lazzeri 8 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Tony Lazzeri +6,559
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 →

Tony Lazzeri

Hitter · 1926–1939
Games
1,740
Hits
1,840
Home Runs
178
RBI
1,191
Avg
.292
OPS
.846
View Tony Lazzeri's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Billy Herman and Tony Lazzeri. 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 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Billy Herman vs Tony Lazzeri: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Billy Herman Tony Lazzeri
Games Leads: 1,922 1,740
At-Bats Leads: 7,707 6,297
Runs Leads: 1,163 986
Hits Leads: 2,345 1,840
Doubles Leads: 486 334
Triples 82 Leads: 115
Home Runs 47 Leads: 178
RBI 839 Leads: 1,191
Walks 737 Leads: 869
Strikeouts not scored 428 864
Stolen Bases 67 Leads: 148
Batting Avg Leads: .304 .292
On-Base % .367 Leads: .380
Slugging % .407 Leads: .467
OPS .774 Leads: .846

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tony Lazzeri outpaces Billy Herman 19,403 to 12,844 — driven by per-season impact — 1,294 PIV per season to 756 — rather than by longevity, since Tony Lazzeri played 15 seasons to Billy Herman's 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)
Tony Lazzeri
19,403
Career PIV · 1,294 per season (15 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

Tony Lazzeri — top 3 seasons by OPS

1929.991 OPS18 HR, 106 RBI, .354 avg
1928.932 OPS10 HR, 82 RBI, .332 avg
1932.905 OPS15 HR, 113 RBI, .300 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Tony Lazzeri leads in home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and OBP, while Billy Herman owns hits, runs, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tony Lazzeri. PIV agrees: Tony Lazzeri 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 Tony Lazzeri careers compare

From 1931 through 1939, Billy Herman and Tony Lazzeri were in the majors together. The two careers are close in length, 1,922 games for Billy Herman and 1,740 for Tony Lazzeri across 17 and 15 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Billy Herman walked more often than struck out (737 walks, 428 strikeouts); Tony Lazzeri walked more often than struck out (869 walks, 864 strikeouts). Tony Lazzeri is the more power-leaning hitter, with 178 of 1,840 hits leaving the park. On the bases, Tony Lazzeri stole more often per game played (67 steals in 1,922 games for Billy Herman, 148 in 1,740 for Tony Lazzeri).

Billy Herman vs Tony Lazzeri: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Billy Herman or Tony Lazzeri?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Tony Lazzeri leads Billy Herman in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Billy Herman or Tony Lazzeri hit more home runs?
Tony Lazzeri, with 178 to Billy Herman's 47.
Who had the higher OPS?
Tony Lazzeri, with .846 to Billy Herman's .774.
Who had the higher batting average?
Billy Herman, with .304 to Tony Lazzeri's .292.
Who had more hits?
Billy Herman, with 2,345 to Tony Lazzeri's 1,840.