Turkey Stearnes vs Paul Waner: Career Stats Comparison
Paul Waner 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). Turkey Stearnes played ?–1940 as a hitter; Paul Waner played 1926–1945 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
Turkey Stearnes (?–1940) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Turkey Stearnes finished with 1,372 hits and 195 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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Turkey Stearnes, with 195 to Paul Waner's 113.
- Who had the higher OPS? Turkey Stearnes, with 1.033 to Paul Waner's .878.
- Who had the higher batting average? Turkey Stearnes, with .347 to Paul Waner's .333.
- Who had more hits? Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.
- Who drove in more runs? Paul Waner, with 1,309 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,038.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Paul Waner, with 40,296 career PIV to Turkey Stearnes's 28,010.
Turkey Stearnes
Paul Waner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Turkey Stearnes and Paul Waner. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Turkey Stearnes | Paul Waner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,034 | Leads: 2,549 |
| At-Bats | 3,959 | Leads: 9,459 |
| Runs | 961 | Leads: 1,627 |
| Hits | 1,372 | Leads: 3,152 |
| Doubles | 243 | Leads: 605 |
| Triples | 122 | Leads: 191 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 195 | 113 |
| RBI | 1,038 | Leads: 1,309 |
| Walks | 429 | Leads: 1,091 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 11 | 376 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 141 | 104 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .347 | .333 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .416 | .404 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .617 | .473 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.033 | .878 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Turkey Stearnes 40,296 to 28,010 — driven by per-season impact — 1,832 PIV per season to 1,273 — rather than by longevity, since Paul Waner played 22 seasons to Turkey Stearnes's 22. 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).
Turkey Stearnes — top 3 seasons by OPS
Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Turkey Stearnes leads in home runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Paul Waner owns hits, RBI, and runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Turkey Stearnes. Note that PIV actually grades Paul Waner ahead, which means Turkey Stearnes's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Turkey Stearnes and Paul Waner careers compare
The careers of Turkey Stearnes (?–1940) and Paul Waner (1926–1945) overlapped from 1940 to 1940, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Turkey Stearnes appeared in 1,034 games to Paul Waner's 2,549. Turkey Stearnes walked more often than struck out (429 walks, 11 strikeouts); Paul Waner walked more often than struck out (1,091 walks, 376 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Turkey Stearnes's hits: 195 of 1,372 for Turkey Stearnes, 113 of 3,152 for Paul Waner. Turkey Stearnes was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Turkey Stearnes vs Paul Waner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Turkey Stearnes or Paul Waner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Paul Waner leads Turkey Stearnes in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Turkey Stearnes or Paul Waner hit more home runs?
- Turkey Stearnes, with 195 to Paul Waner's 113.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Turkey Stearnes, with 1.033 to Paul Waner's .878.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Turkey Stearnes, with .347 to Paul Waner's .333.
- Who had more hits?
- Paul Waner, with 3,152 to Turkey Stearnes's 1,372.