Babe Ruth vs Duke Snider: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Babe Ruth played 1914–1935 as a hitter; Duke Snider played 1947–1964 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
Babe Ruth (1914–1935) and Duke Snider (1947–1964) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs; Duke Snider finished with 2,116 hits and 407 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Babe Ruth, with 714 to Duke Snider's 407.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Duke Snider's .919.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Ruth, with .342 to Duke Snider's .295.
- Who had more hits? Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Duke Snider's 2,116.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Duke Snider's 1,333.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Duke Snider's 39,968.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Duke Snider's 2.
Babe Ruth
Duke Snider
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth and Duke Snider. 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 1910s and the 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Babe Ruth | Duke Snider |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,503 | 2,143 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,398 | 7,161 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 1,259 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,873 | 2,116 |
| Doubles | Leads: 506 | 358 |
| Triples | Leads: 136 | 85 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 714 | 407 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,217 | 1,333 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,062 | 971 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,330 | 1,237 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 123 | 99 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .342 | .295 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .474 | .380 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .690 | .540 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.164 | .919 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Duke Snider 111,979 to 39,968 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,090 PIV per season to 2,220, across 22 seasons to 18. 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).
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Duke Snider — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Duke Snider owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Babe Ruth and Duke Snider careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Babe Ruth's ended in 1935, and Duke Snider debuted in 1947. With 2,503 games against 2,143 across 22 and 18 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Babe Ruth leads every scored row of the table. Plate discipline differs: Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts), but Duke Snider struck out more than walked (1,237 to 971). On the bases, Babe Ruth stole more often per game played (123 steals in 2,503 games for Babe Ruth, 99 in 2,143 for Duke Snider). In slugging percentage, Babe Ruth holds the edge, .690 to .540.
Babe Ruth vs Duke Snider: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Babe Ruth or Duke Snider?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Duke Snider in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Babe Ruth or Duke Snider hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Duke Snider's 407.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Duke Snider's .919.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Ruth, with .342 to Duke Snider's .295.
- Who had more hits?
- Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Duke Snider's 2,116.