Ralph Kiner vs Enos Slaughter: Career Stats Comparison

Enos Slaughter has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Ralph Kiner played 1946–1955 as a hitter; Enos Slaughter played 1938–1959 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

Ralph Kiner (1946–1955) and Enos Slaughter (1938–1959) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ralph Kiner finished with 1,451 hits and 369 home runs; Enos Slaughter finished with 2,383 hits and 169 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Ralph Kiner, with 369 to Enos Slaughter's 169.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Ralph Kiner, with .946 to Enos Slaughter's .834.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Enos Slaughter, with .300 to Ralph Kiner's .279.
  • Who had more hits? Enos Slaughter, with 2,383 to Ralph Kiner's 1,451.
  • Who drove in more runs? Enos Slaughter, with 1,304 to Ralph Kiner's 1,015.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Ralph Kiner, with 35,424 career PIV to Enos Slaughter's 27,340.
  • Who won more championships? Enos Slaughter, with 4 World Series titles to Ralph Kiner's 0.
Leads Enos Slaughter 10 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Ralph Kiner +8,085
Read the verdict ↓

Ralph Kiner

Hitter · 1946–1955
Games
1,472
Hits
1,451
Home Runs
369
RBI
1,015
Avg
.279
OPS
.946
View Ralph Kiner's full profile →

Enos Slaughter

Hitter · 1938–1959
Games
2,380
Hits
2,383
Home Runs
169
RBI
1,304
Avg
.300
OPS
.834
View Enos Slaughter's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ralph Kiner and Enos Slaughter. 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.

Ralph Kiner vs Enos Slaughter: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Ralph Kiner Enos Slaughter
Games 1,472 Leads: 2,380
At-Bats 5,205 Leads: 7,946
Runs 971 Leads: 1,247
Hits 1,451 Leads: 2,383
Doubles 216 Leads: 413
Triples 39 Leads: 148
Home Runs Leads: 369 169
RBI 1,015 Leads: 1,304
Walks 1,011 Leads: 1,018
Strikeouts 749 538
Stolen Bases 22 Leads: 71
Batting Avg .279 Leads: .300
On-Base % Leads: .398 .382
Slugging % Leads: .548 .453
OPS Leads: .946 .834

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ralph Kiner leads Enos Slaughter 35,424 to 27,340 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,220 vs 1,243 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Ralph Kiner
35,424
Career PIV · 3,220 per season (11 seasons)
Enos Slaughter
27,340
Career PIV · 1,243 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).

Ralph Kiner — top 3 seasons by OPS

19491.089 OPS54 HR, 127 RBI, .310 avg
19511.079 OPS42 HR, 109 RBI, .309 avg
19471.055 OPS51 HR, 127 RBI, .313 avg

Enos Slaughter — top 3 seasons by OPS

1949.929 OPS13 HR, 96 RBI, .336 avg
1942.906 OPS13 HR, 98 RBI, .318 avg
1941.886 OPS13 HR, 76 RBI, .311 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Enos Slaughter leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Ralph Kiner owns home runs, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Enos Slaughter. Note that PIV actually grades Ralph Kiner ahead, which means Enos Slaughter's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Ralph Kiner vs Enos Slaughter: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Ralph Kiner or Enos Slaughter?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Enos Slaughter leads Ralph Kiner in 10 of 14 categories.
Did Ralph Kiner or Enos Slaughter hit more home runs?
Ralph Kiner, with 369 to Enos Slaughter's 169.
Who had the higher OPS?
Ralph Kiner, with .946 to Enos Slaughter's .834.
Who had the higher batting average?
Enos Slaughter, with .300 to Ralph Kiner's .279.
Who had more hits?
Enos Slaughter, with 2,383 to Ralph Kiner's 1,451.