Buck Leonard vs Pee Wee Reese: Career Stats Comparison
Pee Wee Reese 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; Pee Wee Reese played 1940–1958 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 Pee Wee Reese (1940–1958) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 home runs; Pee Wee Reese finished with 2,170 hits and 126 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Pee Wee Reese, with 126 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buck Leonard, with .343 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits? Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Pee Wee Reese, with 885 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Buck Leonard, with 19,107 career PIV to Pee Wee Reese's 10,057.
- Who won more championships? Buck Leonard, with 3 World Series titles to Pee Wee Reese's 1.
Buck Leonard
Pee Wee Reese
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Buck Leonard and Pee Wee Reese. 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 | Pee Wee Reese |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 641 | Leads: 2,166 |
| At-Bats | 2,300 | Leads: 8,058 |
| Runs | 567 | Leads: 1,338 |
| Hits | 790 | Leads: 2,170 |
| Doubles | 153 | Leads: 330 |
| Triples | 52 | Leads: 80 |
| Home Runs | 100 | Leads: 126 |
| RBI | 578 | Leads: 885 |
| Walks | 419 | Leads: 1,210 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 14 | 890 |
| Stolen Bases | 32 | Leads: 232 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .343 | .269 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .449 | .366 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .586 | .377 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.034 | .743 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Buck Leonard outpaces Pee Wee Reese 19,107 to 10,057 — driven by per-season impact — 1,274 PIV per season to 629 — rather than by longevity, since Buck Leonard played 15 seasons to Pee Wee Reese's 16. 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.
Pee Wee Reese — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Pee Wee Reese 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 Pee Wee Reese. Note that PIV actually grades Buck Leonard ahead, which means Pee Wee Reese's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Buck Leonard and Pee Wee Reese careers compare
Buck Leonard and Pee Wee Reese were active at the same time between 1948 and 1948. The table compares 641 games of Buck Leonard with 2,166 of Pee Wee Reese across 15 and 16 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Buck Leonard's edges on the table are batting average (.343 to .269), on-base percentage (.449 to .366), and slugging percentage (.586 to .377). Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts); Pee Wee Reese walked more often than struck out (1,210 walks, 890 strikeouts). Buck Leonard is the more power-leaning hitter, with 100 of 790 hits leaving the park.
Buck Leonard vs Pee Wee Reese: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Buck Leonard or Pee Wee Reese?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Pee Wee Reese leads Buck Leonard in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Buck Leonard or Pee Wee Reese hit more home runs?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 126 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buck Leonard, with .343 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Buck Leonard's 790.