Buck Leonard vs Jackie Robinson: Career Stats Comparison
Jackie Robinson 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; Jackie Robinson played 1947–1956 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 Jackie Robinson (1947–1956) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Buck Leonard finished with 790 hits and 100 home runs; Jackie Robinson finished with 1,568 hits and 141 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Jackie Robinson, with 141 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Jackie Robinson's .887.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buck Leonard, with .343 to Jackie Robinson's .313.
- Who had more hits? Jackie Robinson, with 1,568 to Buck Leonard's 790.
- Who drove in more runs? Jackie Robinson, with 764 to Buck Leonard's 578.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Jackie Robinson, with 25,382 career PIV to Buck Leonard's 19,107.
- Who won more championships? Buck Leonard, with 3 World Series titles to Jackie Robinson's 1.
Buck Leonard
Jackie Robinson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Buck Leonard and Jackie Robinson. 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 | Jackie Robinson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 641 | Leads: 1,418 |
| At-Bats | 2,300 | Leads: 5,006 |
| Runs | 567 | Leads: 974 |
| Hits | 790 | Leads: 1,568 |
| Doubles | 153 | Leads: 287 |
| Triples | 52 | Leads: 55 |
| Home Runs | 100 | Leads: 141 |
| RBI | 578 | Leads: 764 |
| Walks | 419 | Leads: 756 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 14 | 291 |
| Stolen Bases | 32 | Leads: 203 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .343 | .313 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .449 | .410 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .586 | .477 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.034 | .887 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jackie Robinson leads Buck Leonard 25,382 to 19,107 — driven by per-season impact — 2,307 PIV per season to 1,274 — rather than by longevity, since Jackie Robinson played 11 seasons to Buck Leonard's 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.
Jackie Robinson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jackie Robinson 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 Jackie Robinson. PIV agrees: Jackie Robinson 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 Jackie Robinson careers compare
From 1948 through 1948, Buck Leonard and Jackie Robinson were in the majors together. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Buck Leonard appeared in 641 games to Jackie Robinson's 1,418. Where Buck Leonard comes out ahead, it is in batting average (.343 to .313), on-base percentage (.449 to .410), and slugging percentage (.586 to .477). At the plate, Buck Leonard walked more often than struck out (419 walks, 14 strikeouts), and Jackie Robinson walked more often than struck out (756 walks, 291 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Buck Leonard's hits: 100 of 790 for Buck Leonard, 141 of 1,568 for Jackie Robinson.
Buck Leonard vs Jackie Robinson: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Buck Leonard or Jackie Robinson?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Jackie Robinson leads Buck Leonard in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Buck Leonard or Jackie Robinson hit more home runs?
- Jackie Robinson, with 141 to Buck Leonard's 100.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buck Leonard, with 1.034 to Jackie Robinson's .887.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buck Leonard, with .343 to Jackie Robinson's .313.
- Who had more hits?
- Jackie Robinson, with 1,568 to Buck Leonard's 790.