Babe Ruth vs Arky Vaughan: 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; Arky Vaughan played 1932–1948 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 Arky Vaughan (1932–1948) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs; Arky Vaughan finished with 2,103 hits and 96 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 Arky Vaughan's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Arky Vaughan's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Ruth, with .342 to Arky Vaughan's .318.
- Who had more hits? Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Arky Vaughan's 2,103.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Arky Vaughan's 926.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Arky Vaughan's 28,350.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Arky Vaughan's 0.
Babe Ruth
Arky Vaughan
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth and Arky Vaughan. 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 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Babe Ruth | Arky Vaughan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,503 | 1,817 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,398 | 6,622 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 1,173 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,873 | 2,103 |
| Doubles | Leads: 506 | 356 |
| Triples | Leads: 136 | 128 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 714 | 96 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,217 | 926 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,062 | 937 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,330 | 276 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 123 | 118 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .342 | .318 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .474 | .406 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .690 | .453 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.164 | .859 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Arky Vaughan 111,979 to 28,350 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,090 PIV per season to 2,025, across 22 seasons to 14. 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
Arky Vaughan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Arky Vaughan 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 Arky Vaughan careers compare
The careers of Babe Ruth (1914–1935) and Arky Vaughan (1932–1948) overlapped from 1932 to 1935, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,503 games for Babe Ruth and 1,817 for Arky Vaughan across 22 and 14 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Every scored category on the table goes to Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts); Arky Vaughan walked more often than struck out (937 walks, 276 strikeouts). Babe Ruth is the more power-leaning hitter, with 714 of 2,873 hits leaving the park.
Babe Ruth vs Arky Vaughan: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Babe Ruth or Arky Vaughan?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Arky Vaughan in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Babe Ruth or Arky Vaughan hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Arky Vaughan's 96.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Arky Vaughan's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Ruth, with .342 to Arky Vaughan's .318.
- Who had more hits?
- Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Arky Vaughan's 2,103.