Buck Leonard vs Mel Ott: Career Stats Comparison
Mel Ott has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Buck Leonard played ?–1948 as a hitter; Mel Ott played 1926–1947 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
Buck Leonard (?–1948) and Mel Ott (1926–1947) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 home runs; Mel Ott finished with 2,876 hits and 511 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Mel Ott, with 511 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Mel Ott's .947.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buck Leonard, with .343 to Mel Ott's .304.
- Who had more hits? Mel Ott, with 2,876 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Mel Ott, with 1,860 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Mel Ott, with 64,873 career PIV to Buck Leonard's 19,107.
- Who won more championships? Buck Leonard, with 3 World Series titles to Mel Ott's 1.
Buck Leonard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Buck Leonard and Mel Ott. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Buck Leonard | Mel Ott |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 641 | Leads: 2,730 |
| At-Bats | 2,300 | Leads: 9,456 |
| Runs | 567 | Leads: 1,859 |
| Hits | 790 | Leads: 2,876 |
| Doubles | 153 | Leads: 488 |
| Triples | 52 | Leads: 72 |
| Home Runs | 100 | Leads: 511 |
| RBI | 578 | Leads: 1,860 |
| Walks | 419 | Leads: 1,708 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 14 | 896 |
| Stolen Bases | 32 | Leads: 89 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .343 | .304 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .449 | .414 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .586 | .533 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.034 | .947 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mel Ott outpaces Buck Leonard 64,873 to 19,107 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,949 PIV per season to 1,274, across 22 seasons to 15. 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).
Buck Leonard
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Mel Ott — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Mel Ott leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Buck Leonard owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Mel Ott. PIV agrees: Mel Ott grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Buck Leonard and Mel Ott careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Mel Ott's ended in 1947, and Buck Leonard debuted in 1948. Mel Ott has the far longer record, 2,730 games against 641 across 15 and 22 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Buck Leonard's edges on the table are batting average (.343 to .304), on-base percentage (.449 to .414), and slugging percentage (.586 to .533). Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts); Mel Ott walked more often than struck out (1,708 walks, 896 strikeouts). Mel Ott is the more power-leaning hitter, with 511 of 2,876 hits leaving the park. Buck Leonard's slugging percentage of .586 tops Mel Ott's .533.
Buck Leonard vs Mel Ott: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Buck Leonard or Mel Ott?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Mel Ott leads Buck Leonard in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Buck Leonard or Mel Ott hit more home runs?
- Mel Ott, with 511 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Mel Ott's .947.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buck Leonard, with .343 to Mel Ott's .304.
- Who had more hits?
- Mel Ott, with 2,876 to Buck Leonard's 790.