Al Simmons vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison
Al Simmons (1924–1944) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) — both broke in during the 1920s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Al Simmons finished with 2,927 hits and 307 home runs; Paul Waner finished with 3,152 hits and 113 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Al Simmons
Paul Waner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Al Simmons and Paul Waner. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Al Simmons | Paul Waner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,215 | 2,549 |
| At-Bats | 8,759 | 9,459 |
| Runs | 1,507 | 1,627 |
| Hits | 2,927 | 3,152 |
| Doubles | 539 | 605 |
| Triples | 149 | 191 |
| Home Runs | 307 | 113 |
| RBI | 1,827 | 1,309 |
| Walks | 615 | 1,091 |
| Strikeouts | 737 | 376 |
| Stolen Bases | 88 | 104 |
| Batting Avg | .334 | .333 |
| On-Base % | .380 | .404 |
| Slugging % | .535 | .473 |
| OPS | .915 | .878 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Simmons edges Paul Waner 40,529 to 40,296 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,930 vs 1,832 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Al Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS
Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Al Simmons leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OPS, while Paul Waner owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Al Simmons. PIV agrees: Al Simmons grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.