Babe Ruth vs Turkey Stearnes: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth 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). Babe Ruth played 1914–1935 as a hitter; Turkey Stearnes played ?–1940 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 Turkey Stearnes (?–1940) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs; Turkey Stearnes finished with 1,372 hits and 195 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 Turkey Stearnes's 195.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Turkey Stearnes's 1.033.
- Who had the higher batting average? Turkey Stearnes, with .347 to Babe Ruth's .342.
- Who had more hits? Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,038.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Turkey Stearnes's 28,010.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Turkey Stearnes's 0.
Babe Ruth
Turkey Stearnes
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth and Turkey Stearnes. 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 | Babe Ruth | Turkey Stearnes |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,503 | 1,034 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,398 | 3,959 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 961 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,873 | 1,372 |
| Doubles | Leads: 506 | 243 |
| Triples | Leads: 136 | 122 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 714 | 195 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,217 | 1,038 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,062 | 429 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,330 | 11 |
| Stolen Bases | 123 | Leads: 141 |
| Batting Avg | .342 | Leads: .347 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .474 | .416 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .690 | .617 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.164 | 1.033 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Turkey Stearnes 111,979 to 28,010 — driven by per-season impact — 5,090 PIV per season to 1,273 — rather than by longevity, since Babe Ruth played 22 seasons to Turkey Stearnes's 22. 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
Turkey Stearnes — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Turkey Stearnes owns stolen bases and batting average. 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 Turkey Stearnes careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Babe Ruth's ended in 1935, and Turkey Stearnes debuted in 1940. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Babe Ruth appeared in 2,503 games to Turkey Stearnes's 1,034. Turkey Stearnes's edges on the table are stolen bases (141 to 123) and batting average (.347 to .342). Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts); Turkey Stearnes walked more often than struck out (429 walks, 11 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Babe Ruth's hits: 714 of 2,873 for Babe Ruth, 195 of 1,372 for Turkey Stearnes.
Babe Ruth vs Turkey Stearnes: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Babe Ruth or Turkey Stearnes?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Turkey Stearnes in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Babe Ruth or Turkey Stearnes hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Turkey Stearnes's 195.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Turkey Stearnes's 1.033.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Turkey Stearnes, with .347 to Babe Ruth's .342.
- Who had more hits?
- Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.