Monte Irvin vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison

Monte Irvin (1949–1956) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Monte Irvin finished with 1,091 hits and 140 home runs; Paul Waner finished with 3,152 hits and 113 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Monte Irvin

Hitter · 1949–1956
Games
1,055
Hits
1,091
Home Runs
140
RBI
693
Avg
.306
OPS
.886
View Monte Irvin's full profile →

Paul Waner

Hitter · 1926–1945
Games
2,549
Hits
3,152
Home Runs
113
RBI
1,309
Avg
.333
OPS
.878
View Paul Waner's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Monte Irvin and Paul Waner. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Monte Irvin Paul Waner
Games 1,055 2,549
At-Bats 3,570 9,459
Runs 593 1,627
Hits 1,091 3,152
Doubles 159 605
Triples 46 191
Home Runs 140 113
RBI 693 1,309
Walks 484 1,091
Strikeouts 231 376
Stolen Bases 54 104
Batting Avg .306 .333
On-Base % .392 .404
Slugging % .494 .473
OPS .886 .878

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Monte Irvin 40,296 to 15,659 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,832 vs 870 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Monte Irvin
15,659
Career PIV · 870 per season (18 seasons)
Paul Waner
40,296
Career PIV · 1,832 per season (22 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Monte Irvin — top 3 seasons by OPS

1953.947 OPS21 HR, 97 RBI, .329 avg
1951.929 OPS24 HR, 121 RBI, .312 avg
1950.889 OPS15 HR, 66 RBI, .299 avg

Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS

1928.992 OPS6 HR, 86 RBI, .370 avg
1927.986 OPS9 HR, 131 RBI, .380 avg
1934.968 OPS14 HR, 90 RBI, .362 avg

Verdict

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

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