Pee Wee Reese vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner has the better career line of the two, leading 12 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; Honus Wagner played 1897–1917 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 Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Pee Wee Reese finished with 2,170 hits and 126 home runs; Honus Wagner finished with 3,420 hits and 101 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Pee Wee Reese, with 126 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS? Honus Wagner, with .858 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average? Honus Wagner, with .328 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Pee Wee Reese's 2,170.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Pee Wee Reese's 885.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to Pee Wee Reese's 10,057.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Pee Wee Reese
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Pee Wee Reese and Honus Wagner. 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 1940s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Pee Wee Reese | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,166 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 8,058 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 1,338 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,170 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 330 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 80 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 126 | 101 |
| RBI | 885 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,210 | 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 890 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 232 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | .269 | Leads: .328 |
| On-Base % | .366 | Leads: .391 |
| Slugging % | .377 | Leads: .467 |
| OPS | .743 | Leads: .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Pee Wee Reese 59,177 to 10,057 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 629, across 21 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
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Pee Wee Reese owns home runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Honus Wagner. PIV agrees: Honus Wagner 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 Honus Wagner careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Honus Wagner's ended in 1917, and Pee Wee Reese debuted in 1940. With 2,166 games against 2,794 across 16 and 21 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Pee Wee Reese's edges on the table are home runs (126 to 101) and walks (1,210 to 963). Pee Wee Reese walked more often than struck out (1,210 walks, 890 strikeouts); Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Pee Wee Reese's hits: 126 of 2,170 for Pee Wee Reese, 101 of 3,420 for Honus Wagner.
Pee Wee Reese vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Pee Wee Reese or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads Pee Wee Reese in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Pee Wee Reese or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Pee Wee Reese, with 126 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Honus Wagner, with .858 to Pee Wee Reese's .743.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Honus Wagner, with .328 to Pee Wee Reese's .269.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Pee Wee Reese's 2,170.