Pee Wee Reese vs Vern Stephens: Career Stats Comparison
Pee Wee Reese has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Pee Wee Reese played 1940–1958 as a hitter; Vern Stephens played 1941–1955 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
Pee Wee Reese (1940–1958) and Vern Stephens (1941–1955) — both broke in during the 1940s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Pee Wee Reese finished with 2,170 hits and 126 home runs; Vern Stephens finished with 1,859 hits and 247 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Vern Stephens, with 247 to Pee Wee Reese's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS? Vern Stephens, with .815 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average? Vern Stephens, with .286 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits? Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Vern Stephens's 1,859.
- Who drove in more runs? Vern Stephens, with 1,174 to Pee Wee Reese's 885.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Vern Stephens, with 19,363 career PIV to Pee Wee Reese's 10,057.
- Who won more championships? Pee Wee Reese, with 1 World Series title to Vern Stephens's 0.
Pee Wee Reese
Vern Stephens
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Pee Wee Reese and Vern Stephens. 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 | Pee Wee Reese | Vern Stephens |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,166 | 1,720 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,058 | 6,497 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,338 | 1,001 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,170 | 1,859 |
| Doubles | Leads: 330 | 307 |
| Triples | Leads: 80 | 42 |
| Home Runs | 126 | Leads: 247 |
| RBI | 885 | Leads: 1,174 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,210 | 692 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 890 | 685 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 232 | 25 |
| Batting Avg | .269 | Leads: .286 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .366 | .355 |
| Slugging % | .377 | Leads: .460 |
| OPS | .743 | Leads: .815 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Vern Stephens outpaces Pee Wee Reese 19,363 to 10,057 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,139 PIV per season to 629, across 17 seasons to 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).
Pee Wee Reese — top 3 seasons by OPS
Vern Stephens — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Vern Stephens leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OPS, 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 Vern Stephens. PIV agrees: Vern Stephens grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Pee Wee Reese and Vern Stephens careers compare
The careers of Pee Wee Reese (1940–1958) and Vern Stephens (1941–1955) overlapped from 1941 to 1955, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,166 games for Pee Wee Reese and 1,720 for Vern Stephens across 16 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Pee Wee Reese walked more often than struck out (1,210 walks, 890 strikeouts), and Vern Stephens walked more often than struck out (692 walks, 685 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Vern Stephens's hits: 126 of 2,170 for Pee Wee Reese, 247 of 1,859 for Vern Stephens.
Pee Wee Reese vs Vern Stephens: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Pee Wee Reese or Vern Stephens?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Pee Wee Reese leads Vern Stephens in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Pee Wee Reese or Vern Stephens hit more home runs?
- Vern Stephens, with 247 to Pee Wee Reese's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Vern Stephens, with .815 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Vern Stephens, with .286 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 2,170 to Vern Stephens's 1,859.