Barry Larkin vs Willie Wells: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Larkin (1986–2004) and Willie Wells (?–1949) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Barry Larkin finished with 2,340 hits and 198 home runs; Willie Wells finished with 1,319 hits and 145 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Barry Larkin
Willie Wells
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Larkin and Willie Wells. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Barry Larkin | Willie Wells |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,180 | 1,068 |
| At-Bats | 7,937 | 4,030 |
| Runs | 1,329 | 956 |
| Hits | 2,340 | 1,319 |
| Doubles | 441 | 267 |
| Triples | 76 | 70 |
| Home Runs | 198 | 145 |
| RBI | 960 | 875 |
| Walks | 939 | 497 |
| Strikeouts | 817 | 10 |
| Stolen Bases | 379 | 176 |
| Batting Avg | .295 | .327 |
| On-Base % | .371 | .407 |
| Slugging % | .444 | .536 |
| OPS | .815 | .943 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Wells leads Barry Larkin 21,549 to 17,788 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (798 vs 936 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Barry Larkin — top 3 seasons by OPS
Willie Wells — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Barry Larkin leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Willie Wells owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Barry Larkin. Note that PIV actually grades Willie Wells ahead, which means Barry Larkin's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.