Zack Wheat vs Ross Youngs: Career Stats Comparison
Zack Wheat has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Zack Wheat played 1909–1927 as a hitter; Ross Youngs played 1917–1926 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
Zack Wheat (1909–1927) and Ross Youngs (1917–1926) — they broke in during the 1900s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Zack Wheat finished with 2,884 hits and 132 home runs; Ross Youngs finished with 1,491 hits and 42 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Zack Wheat, with 132 to Ross Youngs's 42.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ross Youngs, with .839 to Zack Wheat's .817.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ross Youngs, with .322 to Zack Wheat's .317.
- Who had more hits? Zack Wheat, with 2,884 to Ross Youngs's 1,491.
- Who drove in more runs? Zack Wheat, with 1,248 to Ross Youngs's 592.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Zack Wheat, with 30,370 career PIV to Ross Youngs's 16,987.
- Who won more championships? Ross Youngs, with 2 World Series titles to Zack Wheat's 0.
Zack Wheat
Ross Youngs
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Zack Wheat and Ross Youngs. 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 1910s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Zack Wheat | Ross Youngs |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,410 | 1,211 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,106 | 4,627 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,289 | 812 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,884 | 1,491 |
| Doubles | Leads: 476 | 236 |
| Triples | Leads: 172 | 93 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 132 | 42 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,248 | 592 |
| Walks | Leads: 650 | 550 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 572 | 390 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 205 | 153 |
| Batting Avg | .317 | Leads: .322 |
| On-Base % | .367 | Leads: .399 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .450 | .441 |
| OPS | .817 | Leads: .839 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Zack Wheat outpaces Ross Youngs 30,370 to 16,987 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Zack Wheat played 19 seasons to Ross Youngs's 10, while Ross Youngs carries the higher per-season figure (1,699 to 1,598). 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).
Zack Wheat — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ross Youngs — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Zack Wheat leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ross Youngs owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Zack Wheat. PIV agrees: Zack Wheat grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Zack Wheat and Ross Youngs careers compare
The careers of Zack Wheat (1909–1927) and Ross Youngs (1917–1926) overlapped from 1917 to 1926, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The table compares 2,410 games of Zack Wheat with 1,211 of Ross Youngs across 19 and 10 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Ross Youngs are batting average (.322 to .317), on-base percentage (.399 to .367), and OPS (.839 to .817). At the plate, Zack Wheat walked more often than struck out (650 walks, 572 strikeouts), and Ross Youngs walked more often than struck out (550 walks, 390 strikeouts).
Zack Wheat vs Ross Youngs: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Zack Wheat or Ross Youngs?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Zack Wheat leads Ross Youngs in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Zack Wheat or Ross Youngs hit more home runs?
- Zack Wheat, with 132 to Ross Youngs's 42.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ross Youngs, with .839 to Zack Wheat's .817.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ross Youngs, with .322 to Zack Wheat's .317.
- Who had more hits?
- Zack Wheat, with 2,884 to Ross Youngs's 1,491.