Rogers Hornsby vs Buck Leonard: Career Stats Comparison
Rogers Hornsby has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Rogers Hornsby played 1915–1937 as a hitter; Buck Leonard played ?–1948 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
Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) and Buck Leonard (?–1948) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Rogers Hornsby finished with 2,930 hits and 301 home runs; Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 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 Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Rogers Hornsby's 1.010.
- Who had the higher batting average? Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Buck Leonard's .343.
- Who had more hits? Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Rogers Hornsby, with 1,584 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rogers Hornsby, with 68,443 career PIV to Buck Leonard's 19,107.
- Who won more championships? Buck Leonard, with 3 World Series titles to Rogers Hornsby's 1.
Rogers Hornsby
Buck Leonard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rogers Hornsby and Buck Leonard. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Rogers Hornsby | Buck Leonard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,259 | 641 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,173 | 2,300 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,579 | 567 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,930 | 790 |
| Doubles | Leads: 541 | 153 |
| Triples | Leads: 169 | 52 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 301 | 100 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,584 | 578 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,038 | 419 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 679 | 14 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 135 | 32 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .358 | .343 |
| On-Base % | .434 | Leads: .449 |
| Slugging % | .577 | Leads: .586 |
| OPS | 1.010 | Leads: 1.034 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rogers Hornsby outpaces Buck Leonard 68,443 to 19,107 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,852 PIV per season to 1,274, across 24 seasons to 15. 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.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Rogers Hornsby — top 3 seasons by OPS
Buck Leonard
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rogers Hornsby leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Buck Leonard owns OBP and OPS. 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 Rogers Hornsby and Buck Leonard careers compare
Rogers Hornsby (1915–1937) was finished before Buck Leonard (?–1948) arrived, so they never shared a league. Rogers Hornsby has the far longer record, 2,259 games against 641 across 24 and 15 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Buck Leonard are on-base percentage (.449 to .434), slugging percentage (.586 to .577), and OPS (1.034 to 1.010). Rogers Hornsby walked more often than struck out (1,038 walks, 679 strikeouts); Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts). On the bases, Rogers Hornsby stole more often per game played (135 steals in 2,259 games for Rogers Hornsby, 32 in 641 for Buck Leonard).
Rogers Hornsby vs Buck Leonard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Rogers Hornsby or Buck Leonard?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rogers Hornsby leads Buck Leonard in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Rogers Hornsby or Buck Leonard hit more home runs?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 301 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Rogers Hornsby's 1.010.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Rogers Hornsby, with .358 to Buck Leonard's .343.
- Who had more hits?
- Rogers Hornsby, with 2,930 to Buck Leonard's 790.