Babe Ruth vs Ben Zobrist: 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; Ben Zobrist played 2006–2019 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 Ben Zobrist (2006–2019) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs; Ben Zobrist finished with 1,566 hits and 167 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 Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS? Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average? Babe Ruth, with .342 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits? Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.
- Who drove in more runs? Babe Ruth, with 2,217 to Ben Zobrist's 768.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Babe Ruth, with 111,979 career PIV to Ben Zobrist's 10,712.
- Who won more championships? Babe Ruth, with 7 World Series titles to Ben Zobrist's 2.
Babe Ruth
Ben Zobrist
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth and Ben Zobrist. 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 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Babe Ruth | Ben Zobrist |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,503 | 1,651 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,398 | 5,880 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 884 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,873 | 1,566 |
| Doubles | Leads: 506 | 349 |
| Triples | Leads: 136 | 44 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 714 | 167 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,217 | 768 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,062 | 832 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,330 | 994 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 123 | 116 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .342 | .266 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .474 | .357 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .690 | .426 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.164 | .783 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Ben Zobrist 111,979 to 10,712 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,090 PIV per season to 714, across 22 seasons to 15. 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
Ben Zobrist — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ben Zobrist 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 Ben Zobrist careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Babe Ruth's ended in 1935, and Ben Zobrist debuted in 2006. The table compares 2,503 games of Babe Ruth with 1,651 of Ben Zobrist across 22 and 15 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Every scored category on the table goes to Babe Ruth. Plate discipline differs: Babe Ruth walked more often than struck out (2,062 walks, 1,330 strikeouts), but Ben Zobrist struck out more than walked (994 to 832). Home runs make up a larger share of Babe Ruth's hits: 714 of 2,873 for Babe Ruth, 167 of 1,566 for Ben Zobrist.
Babe Ruth vs Ben Zobrist: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Babe Ruth or Ben Zobrist?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Babe Ruth leads Ben Zobrist in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Babe Ruth or Ben Zobrist hit more home runs?
- Babe Ruth, with 714 to Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Babe Ruth, with 1.164 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Babe Ruth, with .342 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Babe Ruth, with 2,873 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.