Honus Wagner vs John Ward: Career Stats Comparison
Honus Wagner 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). Honus Wagner played 1897–1917 as a hitter; John Ward played 1878–1894 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
Honus Wagner (1897–1917) and John Ward (1878–1894) — they broke in during the 1890s and the 1870s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Honus Wagner finished with 3,420 hits and 101 home runs; John Ward finished with 2,107 hits and 26 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 John Ward's 26.
- Who had the higher OPS? Honus Wagner, with .858 to John Ward's .655.
- Who had the higher batting average? Honus Wagner, with .328 to John Ward's .275.
- Who had more hits? Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to John Ward's 2,107.
- Who drove in more runs? Honus Wagner, with 1,733 to John Ward's 869.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Honus Wagner, with 59,177 career PIV to John Ward's 68.
- Who won more championships? John Ward, with 2 World Series titles to Honus Wagner's 1.
Honus Wagner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Honus Wagner and John Ward. 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 1890s and the 1870s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Honus Wagner | John Ward |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,794 | 1,827 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,439 | 7,656 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,739 | 1,410 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,420 | 2,107 |
| Doubles | Leads: 643 | 231 |
| Triples | Leads: 252 | 96 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 101 | 26 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,733 | 869 |
| Walks | Leads: 963 | 421 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 735 | 326 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 723 | 540 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .328 | .275 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .391 | .314 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .467 | .341 |
| OPS | Leads: .858 | .655 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Honus Wagner outpaces John Ward 59,177 to 68 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,818 PIV per season to 4, across 21 seasons to 17. 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).
Honus Wagner — top 3 seasons by OPS
John Ward — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Honus Wagner leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while John Ward owns no headline categories. 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 Honus Wagner and John Ward careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: John Ward's ended in 1894, and Honus Wagner debuted in 1897. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Honus Wagner appeared in 2,794 games to John Ward's 1,827. Every scored category on the table goes to Honus Wagner. Honus Wagner walked more often than struck out (963 walks, 735 strikeouts); John Ward walked more often than struck out (421 walks, 326 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Honus Wagner's hits: 101 of 3,420 for Honus Wagner, 26 of 2,107 for John Ward. John Ward was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Honus Wagner vs John Ward: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Honus Wagner or John Ward?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Honus Wagner leads John Ward in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Honus Wagner or John Ward hit more home runs?
- Honus Wagner, with 101 to John Ward's 26.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Honus Wagner, with .858 to John Ward's .655.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Honus Wagner, with .328 to John Ward's .275.
- Who had more hits?
- Honus Wagner, with 3,420 to John Ward's 2,107.