Gil Hodges vs Johnny Mize: Career Stats Comparison

Johnny Mize has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Gil Hodges played 1943–1963 as a hitter; Johnny Mize played 1936–1953 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

Gil Hodges (1943–1963) and Johnny Mize (1936–1953) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Gil Hodges finished with 1,921 hits and 370 home runs; Johnny Mize finished with 2,011 hits and 359 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Gil Hodges, with 370 to Johnny Mize's 359.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Johnny Mize, with .959 to Gil Hodges's .846.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Johnny Mize, with .312 to Gil Hodges's .273.
  • Who had more hits? Johnny Mize, with 2,011 to Gil Hodges's 1,921.
  • Who drove in more runs? Johnny Mize, with 1,337 to Gil Hodges's 1,274.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Johnny Mize, with 43,061 career PIV to Gil Hodges's 24,928.
  • Who won more championships? Johnny Mize, with 5 World Series titles to Gil Hodges's 2.
Leads Johnny Mize 9 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Johnny Mize +18,133
Read the verdict ↓

Gil Hodges

Hitter · 1943–1963
Games
2,071
Hits
1,921
Home Runs
370
RBI
1,274
Avg
.273
OPS
.846
View Gil Hodges's full profile →

Johnny Mize

Hitter · 1936–1953
Games
1,884
Hits
2,011
Home Runs
359
RBI
1,337
Avg
.312
OPS
.959
View Johnny Mize's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Gil Hodges and Johnny Mize. 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.

Gil Hodges vs Johnny Mize: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Gil Hodges Johnny Mize
Games Leads: 2,071 1,884
At-Bats Leads: 7,030 6,443
Runs 1,105 Leads: 1,118
Hits 1,921 Leads: 2,011
Doubles 295 Leads: 367
Triples 48 Leads: 83
Home Runs Leads: 370 359
RBI 1,274 Leads: 1,337
Walks Leads: 943 856
Strikeouts 1,137 524
Stolen Bases Leads: 63 28
Batting Avg .273 Leads: .312
On-Base % .359 Leads: .397
Slugging % .487 Leads: .562
OPS .846 Leads: .959

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Johnny Mize outpaces Gil Hodges 43,061 to 24,928 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,691 vs 1,385 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Gil Hodges
24,928
Career PIV · 1,385 per season (18 seasons)
Johnny Mize
43,061
Career PIV · 2,691 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Gil Hodges — top 3 seasons by OPS

1954.952 OPS42 HR, 130 RBI, .304 avg
1953.943 OPS31 HR, 122 RBI, .302 avg
1951.901 OPS40 HR, 103 RBI, .268 avg

Johnny Mize — top 3 seasons by OPS

19391.070 OPS28 HR, 108 RBI, .349 avg
19401.039 OPS43 HR, 137 RBI, .314 avg
19381.036 OPS27 HR, 102 RBI, .337 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

Gil Hodges vs Johnny Mize: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Gil Hodges or Johnny Mize?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Johnny Mize leads Gil Hodges in 9 of 14 categories.
Did Gil Hodges or Johnny Mize hit more home runs?
Gil Hodges, with 370 to Johnny Mize's 359.
Who had the higher OPS?
Johnny Mize, with .959 to Gil Hodges's .846.
Who had the higher batting average?
Johnny Mize, with .312 to Gil Hodges's .273.
Who had more hits?
Johnny Mize, with 2,011 to Gil Hodges's 1,921.

See These Players in Another Era