Eddie Mathews vs David Wright: Career Stats Comparison
Eddie Mathews 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). Eddie Mathews played 1952–1968 as a hitter; David Wright played 2004–2018 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
Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) and David Wright (2004–2018) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Eddie Mathews finished with 2,315 hits and 512 home runs; David Wright finished with 1,777 hits and 242 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Eddie Mathews, with 512 to David Wright's 242.
- Who had the higher OPS? Eddie Mathews, with .885 to David Wright's .867.
- Who had the higher batting average? David Wright, with .296 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits? Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to David Wright's 1,777.
- Who drove in more runs? Eddie Mathews, with 1,453 to David Wright's 970.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Eddie Mathews, with 45,555 career PIV to David Wright's 22,524.
- Who won more championships? Eddie Mathews, with 2 World Series titles to David Wright's 0.
Eddie Mathews
David Wright
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Eddie Mathews and David Wright. 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, and the 1950s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Eddie Mathews | David Wright |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,391 | 1,585 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,537 | 5,998 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,509 | 949 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,315 | 1,777 |
| Doubles | 354 | Leads: 390 |
| Triples | Leads: 72 | 26 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 512 | 242 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,453 | 970 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,444 | 762 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,487 | 1,292 |
| Stolen Bases | 68 | Leads: 196 |
| Batting Avg | .271 | Leads: .296 |
| On-Base % | .376 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .509 | .491 |
| OPS | Leads: .885 | .867 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Mathews outpaces David Wright 45,555 to 22,524 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,531 PIV per season to 1,609, across 18 seasons to 14. 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).
Eddie Mathews — top 3 seasons by OPS
David Wright — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Eddie Mathews leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while David Wright owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Eddie Mathews. PIV agrees: Eddie Mathews grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Eddie Mathews and David Wright careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Eddie Mathews's ended in 1968, and David Wright debuted in 2004. Eddie Mathews has the far longer record, 2,391 games against 1,585 across 18 and 14 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Where David Wright comes out ahead, it is in doubles (390 to 354), stolen bases (196 to 68), and batting average (.296 to .271). Eddie Mathews struck out more than walked (1,487 to 1,444); David Wright struck out more than walked (1,292 to 762). Home runs make up a larger share of Eddie Mathews's hits: 512 of 2,315 for Eddie Mathews, 242 of 1,777 for David Wright.
Eddie Mathews vs David Wright: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Eddie Mathews or David Wright?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Eddie Mathews leads David Wright in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Eddie Mathews or David Wright hit more home runs?
- Eddie Mathews, with 512 to David Wright's 242.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Eddie Mathews, with .885 to David Wright's .867.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- David Wright, with .296 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits?
- Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to David Wright's 1,777.