Johnny Mize vs Pee Wee Reese: Career Stats Comparison
Johnny Mize has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Johnny Mize played 1936–1953 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
Johnny Mize (1936–1953) and Pee Wee Reese (1940–1958) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Johnny Mize finished with 2,011 hits and 359 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? Johnny Mize, with 359 to Pee Wee Reese's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS? Johnny Mize, with .959 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average? Johnny Mize, with .312 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits? Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Johnny Mize's 2,011.
- Who drove in more runs? Johnny Mize, with 1,337 to Pee Wee Reese's 885.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Johnny Mize, with 43,061 career PIV to Pee Wee Reese's 10,057.
- Who won more championships? Johnny Mize, with 5 World Series titles to Pee Wee Reese's 1.
Johnny Mize
Pee Wee Reese
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Johnny Mize 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, and the 1930s and the 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Johnny Mize | Pee Wee Reese |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,884 | Leads: 2,166 |
| At-Bats | 6,443 | Leads: 8,058 |
| Runs | 1,118 | Leads: 1,338 |
| Hits | 2,011 | Leads: 2,170 |
| Doubles | Leads: 367 | 330 |
| Triples | Leads: 83 | 80 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 359 | 126 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,337 | 885 |
| Walks | 856 | Leads: 1,210 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 524 | 890 |
| Stolen Bases | 28 | Leads: 232 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .312 | .269 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .397 | .366 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .562 | .377 |
| OPS | Leads: .959 | .743 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Johnny Mize outpaces Pee Wee Reese 43,061 to 10,057 — driven by per-season impact — 2,691 PIV per season to 629 — rather than by longevity, since Johnny Mize played 16 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).
Johnny Mize — top 3 seasons by OPS
Pee Wee Reese — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Johnny Mize leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OBP, while Pee Wee Reese owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Johnny Mize. PIV agrees: Johnny Mize grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Johnny Mize and Pee Wee Reese careers compare
From 1940 through 1953, Johnny Mize and Pee Wee Reese were in the majors together. The two careers are close in length, 1,884 games for Johnny Mize and 2,166 for Pee Wee Reese across 16 and 16 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Johnny Mize walked more often than struck out (856 walks, 524 strikeouts); Pee Wee Reese walked more often than struck out (1,210 walks, 890 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Johnny Mize's hits: 359 of 2,011 for Johnny Mize, 126 of 2,170 for Pee Wee Reese. Pee Wee Reese was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Johnny Mize vs Pee Wee Reese: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Johnny Mize or Pee Wee Reese?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Johnny Mize leads Pee Wee Reese in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Johnny Mize or Pee Wee Reese hit more home runs?
- Johnny Mize, with 359 to Pee Wee Reese's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Johnny Mize, with .959 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Johnny Mize, with .312 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Johnny Mize's 2,011.