Tris Speaker vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Tris Speaker has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Tris Speaker played 1907–1928 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
Tris Speaker (1907–1928) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Tris Speaker finished with 3,514 hits and 117 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? Tris Speaker, with 117 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS? Tris Speaker, with .928 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average? Tris Speaker, with .345 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits? Tris Speaker, with 3,514 to Honus Wagner's 3,420.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Tris Speaker's 1,529.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Tris Speaker, with 73,242 career PIV to Honus Wagner's 59,177.
- Who won more championships? Tris Speaker, with 3 World Series titles to Honus Wagner's 1.
Tris Speaker
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Tris Speaker 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 1900s and the 1890s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Tris Speaker | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,789 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 10,195 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,882 | 1,739 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,514 | 3,420 |
| Doubles | Leads: 792 | 643 |
| Triples | 222 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 117 | 101 |
| RBI | 1,529 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,381 | 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 393 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 432 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .345 | .328 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .428 | .391 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .500 | .467 |
| OPS | Leads: .928 | .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tris Speaker leads Honus Wagner 73,242 to 59,177 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,329 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).
Tris Speaker — top 3 seasons by OPS
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Tris Speaker leads in hits, home runs, runs, and batting average, while Honus Wagner owns RBI and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tris Speaker. PIV agrees: Tris Speaker grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Tris Speaker and Honus Wagner careers compare
The careers of Tris Speaker (1907–1928) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) overlapped from 1907 to 1917, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,789 games against 2,794 across 22 and 21 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. At the plate, Tris Speaker walked more often than struck out (1,381 walks, 393 strikeouts), and Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts). Honus Wagner was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Tris Speaker's on-base percentage of .428 tops Honus Wagner's .391.
Tris Speaker vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Tris Speaker or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Tris Speaker leads Honus Wagner in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Tris Speaker or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Tris Speaker, with 117 to Honus Wagner's 101.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Tris Speaker, with .928 to Honus Wagner's .858.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Tris Speaker, with .345 to Honus Wagner's .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Tris Speaker, with 3,514 to Honus Wagner's 3,420.