Ernie Lombardi vs Mel Ott: Career Stats Comparison

Ernie Lombardi (1931–1947) and Mel Ott (1926–1947) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1920s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ernie Lombardi finished with 1,792 hits and 190 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.

Ernie Lombardi

Hitter · 1931–1947
Games
1,853
Hits
1,792
Home Runs
190
RBI
990
Avg
.306
OPS
.818
View Ernie Lombardi's full profile →

Mel Ott

Hitter · 1926–1947
Games
2,730
Hits
2,876
Home Runs
511
RBI
1,860
Avg
.304
OPS
.947
View Mel Ott's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ernie Lombardi and Mel Ott. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Ernie Lombardi Mel Ott
Games 1,853 2,730
At-Bats 5,855 9,456
Runs 601 1,859
Hits 1,792 2,876
Doubles 277 488
Triples 27 72
Home Runs 190 511
RBI 990 1,860
Walks 430 1,708
Strikeouts 262 896
Stolen Bases 8 89
Batting Avg .306 .304
On-Base % .358 .414
Slugging % .460 .533
OPS .818 .947

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mel Ott outpaces Ernie Lombardi 64,873 to 15,583 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,949 vs 917 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Ernie Lombardi
15,583
Career PIV · 917 per season (17 seasons)
Mel Ott
64,873
Career PIV · 2,949 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).

Ernie Lombardi — top 3 seasons by OPS

1935.918 OPS12 HR, 64 RBI, .343 avg
1938.915 OPS19 HR, 95 RBI, .342 avg
1942.886 OPS11 HR, 46 RBI, .330 avg

Mel Ott — top 3 seasons by OPS

19291.084 OPS42 HR, 151 RBI, .328 avg
19301.036 OPS25 HR, 119 RBI, .349 avg
19361.036 OPS33 HR, 135 RBI, .328 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Mel Ott leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ernie Lombardi owns batting average. 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.

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