Ben Taylor vs Honus Wagner: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Ben Taylor played 1912–1929 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
Ben Taylor (1912–1929) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) — they broke in during the 1910s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ben Taylor finished with 1,112 hits and 33 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? Honus Wagner, with 101 to Ben Taylor's 33.
- Who had the higher OPS? Honus Wagner, with .858 to Ben Taylor's .845.
- Who had the higher batting average? Neither — both are at .328.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Ben Taylor's 1,112.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to Ben Taylor's 657.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to Ben Taylor's 11,667.
- Who won more championships? Honus Wagner, with 1 World Series title to Ben Taylor's 0.
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ben Taylor 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 | Ben Taylor | Honus Wagner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 923 | Leads: 2,794 |
| At-Bats | 3,391 | Leads: 10,439 |
| Runs | 544 | Leads: 1,739 |
| Hits | 1,112 | Leads: 3,420 |
| Doubles | 194 | Leads: 643 |
| Triples | 65 | Leads: 252 |
| Home Runs | 33 | Leads: 101 |
| RBI | 657 | Leads: 1,733 |
| Walks | 343 | Leads: 963 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 7 | 735 |
| Stolen Bases | 102 | Leads: 723 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .328 | .328 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .392 | .391 |
| Slugging % | .453 | Leads: .467 |
| OPS | .845 | Leads: .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces Ben Taylor 59,177 to 11,667 — driven by per-season impact — 2,818 PIV per season to 530 — rather than by longevity, since Honus Wagner played 21 seasons to Ben Taylor'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).
Ben Taylor — top 2 seasons by OPS
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ben Taylor owns batting average and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Honus Wagner. PIV agrees: Honus Wagner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ben Taylor and Honus Wagner careers compare
The careers of Ben Taylor (1912–1929) and Honus Wagner (1897–1917) overlapped from 1912 to 1917, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Ben Taylor appeared in 923 games to Honus Wagner's 2,794. Ben Taylor's edges on the table are batting average (.328 to .328) and on-base percentage (.392 to .391). At the plate, Ben Taylor walked more often than struck out (343 walks, 7 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.
Ben Taylor vs Honus Wagner: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ben Taylor or Honus Wagner?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads Ben Taylor in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ben Taylor or Honus Wagner hit more home runs?
- Honus Wagner, with 101 to Ben Taylor's 33.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Honus Wagner, with .858 to Ben Taylor's .845.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Neither — both are at .328.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to Ben Taylor's 1,112.