Elston Howard vs Duke Snider: Career Stats Comparison
Duke Snider 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). Elston Howard played 1955–1968 as a hitter; Duke Snider played 1947–1964 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
Elston Howard (1955–1968) and Duke Snider (1947–1964) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Elston Howard finished with 1,491 hits and 168 home runs; Duke Snider finished with 2,116 hits and 407 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Duke Snider, with 407 to Elston Howard's 168.
- Who had the higher OPS? Duke Snider, with .919 to Elston Howard's .748.
- Who had the higher batting average? Duke Snider, with .295 to Elston Howard's .274.
- Who had more hits? Duke Snider, with 2,116 to Elston Howard's 1,491.
- Who drove in more runs? Duke Snider, with 1,333 to Elston Howard's 775.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Duke Snider, with 39,968 career PIV to Elston Howard's 6,426.
- Who won more championships? Elston Howard, with 4 World Series titles to Duke Snider's 2.
Elston Howard
Duke Snider
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Elston Howard and Duke Snider. 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 1950s and the 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Elston Howard | Duke Snider |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,625 | Leads: 2,143 |
| At-Bats | 5,443 | Leads: 7,161 |
| Runs | 635 | Leads: 1,259 |
| Hits | 1,491 | Leads: 2,116 |
| Doubles | 223 | Leads: 358 |
| Triples | 53 | Leads: 85 |
| Home Runs | 168 | Leads: 407 |
| RBI | 775 | Leads: 1,333 |
| Walks | 376 | Leads: 971 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 786 | 1,237 |
| Stolen Bases | 10 | Leads: 99 |
| Batting Avg | .274 | Leads: .295 |
| On-Base % | .321 | Leads: .380 |
| Slugging % | .427 | Leads: .540 |
| OPS | .748 | Leads: .919 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Duke Snider outpaces Elston Howard 39,968 to 6,426 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,220 PIV per season to 402, across 18 seasons to 16. 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).
Elston Howard — top 3 seasons by OPS
Duke Snider — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Duke Snider leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Elston Howard owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Duke Snider. PIV agrees: Duke Snider grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Elston Howard and Duke Snider careers compare
The careers of Elston Howard (1955–1968) and Duke Snider (1947–1964) overlapped from 1955 to 1964, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,625 games for Elston Howard and 2,143 for Duke Snider across 16 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Duke Snider leads every scored row of the table. Elston Howard struck out more than walked (786 to 376); Duke Snider struck out more than walked (1,237 to 971). Home runs make up a larger share of Duke Snider's hits: 168 of 1,491 for Elston Howard, 407 of 2,116 for Duke Snider.
Elston Howard vs Duke Snider: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Elston Howard or Duke Snider?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Duke Snider leads Elston Howard in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Elston Howard or Duke Snider hit more home runs?
- Duke Snider, with 407 to Elston Howard's 168.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Duke Snider, with .919 to Elston Howard's .748.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Duke Snider, with .295 to Elston Howard's .274.
- Who had more hits?
- Duke Snider, with 2,116 to Elston Howard's 1,491.