George Kelly vs Bill Terry: Career Stats Comparison
Bill Terry has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). George Kelly played 1915–1932 as a hitter; Bill Terry played 1923–1936 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
George Kelly (1915–1932) and Bill Terry (1923–1936) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. George Kelly finished with 1,778 hits and 148 home runs; Bill Terry finished with 2,193 hits and 154 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Bill Terry, with 154 to George Kelly's 148.
- Who had the higher OPS? Bill Terry, with .899 to George Kelly's .794.
- Who had the higher batting average? Bill Terry, with .341 to George Kelly's .297.
- Who had more hits? Bill Terry, with 2,193 to George Kelly's 1,778.
- Who drove in more runs? Bill Terry, with 1,078 to George Kelly's 1,020.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Bill Terry, with 27,771 career PIV to George Kelly's 9,050.
- Who won more championships? George Kelly, with 2 World Series titles to Bill Terry's 1.
George Kelly
Bill Terry
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for George Kelly and Bill Terry. 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 1910s and the 1920s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | George Kelly | Bill Terry |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,622 | Leads: 1,721 |
| At-Bats | 5,993 | Leads: 6,428 |
| Runs | 819 | Leads: 1,120 |
| Hits | 1,778 | Leads: 2,193 |
| Doubles | 337 | Leads: 373 |
| Triples | 76 | Leads: 112 |
| Home Runs | 148 | Leads: 154 |
| RBI | 1,020 | Leads: 1,078 |
| Walks | 386 | Leads: 537 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 694 | 449 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 65 | 56 |
| Batting Avg | .297 | Leads: .341 |
| On-Base % | .342 | Leads: .393 |
| Slugging % | .452 | Leads: .506 |
| OPS | .794 | Leads: .899 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bill Terry outpaces George Kelly 27,771 to 9,050 — driven by per-season impact — 1,984 PIV per season to 503 — rather than by longevity, since Bill Terry played 14 seasons to George Kelly's 18. 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).
George Kelly — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bill Terry — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Bill Terry leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while George Kelly owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bill Terry. PIV agrees: Bill Terry grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the George Kelly and Bill Terry careers compare
The careers of George Kelly (1915–1932) and Bill Terry (1923–1936) overlapped from 1923 to 1932, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,622 games for George Kelly and 1,721 for Bill Terry across 18 and 14 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. George Kelly's edges on the table are stolen bases (65 to 56). At the plate, George Kelly struck out more than walked (694 to 386), while Bill Terry walked more often than struck out (537 walks, 449 strikeouts). Bill Terry's slugging percentage of .506 tops George Kelly's .452.
George Kelly vs Bill Terry: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, George Kelly or Bill Terry?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Bill Terry leads George Kelly in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did George Kelly or Bill Terry hit more home runs?
- Bill Terry, with 154 to George Kelly's 148.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Bill Terry, with .899 to George Kelly's .794.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Bill Terry, with .341 to George Kelly's .297.
- Who had more hits?
- Bill Terry, with 2,193 to George Kelly's 1,778.