Babe Ruth vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth has the better career line of the two, leading 8 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; 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
Babe Ruth (1914–1935) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 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? Babe Ruth, with 714 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Ruth, with .342 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Babe Ruth's 2,873.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Honus Wagner's 1,733.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Honus Wagner's 59,177.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Honus Wagner's 1.
Babe Ruth
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth 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 1910s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Babe Ruth | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,503 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 8,398 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 1,739 |
| Hits | 2,873 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 506 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 136 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 714 | 101 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,217 | 1,733 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,062 | 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,330 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 123 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .342 | .328 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .474 | .391 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .690 | .467 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.164 | .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Honus Wagner 111,979 to 59,177 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,090 PIV per season to 2,818, across 22 seasons to 21. 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
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and batting average, while Honus Wagner owns hits and stolen bases. 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 Honus Wagner careers compare
Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner were active at the same time between 1914 and 1917. With 2,503 games against 2,794 across 22 and 21 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts); Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Babe Ruth's hits: 714 of 2,873 for Babe Ruth, 101 of 3,420 for Honus Wagner. Honus Wagner was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Babe Ruth's on-base percentage of .474 tops Honus Wagner's .391.
Babe Ruth vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Babe Ruth or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Honus Wagner in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Babe Ruth or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Ruth, with .342 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Babe Ruth's 2,873.