Mel Ott vs. Joe Medwick: Two Giants of the ’30s

June 17, 2026May 30, 2024 by Jake Cain

Last Updated: June 17, 2026

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Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Jake Cain

If you ask any baseball expert, they’ll tell you that Mel Ott and Joe Medwick stand out as two of the most accomplished players of their era. Ott, a longtime New York Giant, known for his towering home runs, and Medwick, a hard-hitting left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, left indelible marks on the game. Both had storied careers filled with accolades and memorable moments, but how do they compare? Let’s dive into their careers, stats, and lasting impacts on baseball, and see how these legends stack up against each other.

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Mel Ott vs Joe Medwick — via Stathead

Early Beginnings: Rising Stars

Mel Ott: The Young Prodigy

Mel Ott was born on March 2, 1909, in Gretna, Louisiana, and quickly made a name for himself with his potent bat. He debuted for the New York Giants in 1926 at the young age of 17 and became their regular right fielder by 1929. In his rookie season, Ott hit an impressive .328 with 42 home runs and 151 RBIs, setting the stage for a remarkable career.

Joe Medwick: The Natural Athlete

Joe Medwick, born on November 24, 1911, in Carteret, New Jersey, was a multi-sport athlete in high school. Known for his power and aggressive play, Medwick made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1932. By 1934, he had established himself as a formidable hitter, batting .319 with 18 home runs and 106 RBIs. Medwick’s hard-hitting style and competitive nature quickly made him a key player for the Cardinals.

Career Highlights and Milestones

Mel Ott: The Home Run King

Ott’s career was defined by his power-hitting and consistency. He led the National League in home runs six times and was an All-Star for 12 consecutive seasons. Here are some of his impressive career stats:

Batting average: .304
Hits: 2,876
Home runs: 511
RBIs: 1,860

Ott was the first NL player to surpass 500 career home runs and held the NL home run record until Willie Mays broke it in 1966. He was also known for his ability to draw walks, leading the league in this category six times.

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1926	17	NYG	NL	35	61	60	7	23	2	0	0	4	1	0	1	9	.383	.393	.417	.810	120	25		0	0		0	H7
1927	18	NYG	NL	82	180	163	23	46	7	3	1	19	2	5	13	9	.282	.335	.380	.716	91	62		0	4		1	H87
1928	19	NYG	NL	124	500	435	69	140	26	4	18	77	3	6	52	36	.322	.397	.524	.921	139	228		2	10		0	*9H/4758
1929	20	NYG	NL	150	675	545	138	179	37	2	42	151	6	13	113	38	.328	.449	.635	1.084	165	346		6	11		3	*9/48H	MVP-11
1930	21	NYG	NL	148	648	521	122	182	34	5	25	119	9	7	103	35	.349	.458	.578	1.036	150	301		2	20		1	*9/H
1931	22	NYG	NL	138	580	497	104	145	23	8	29	115	10	6	80	44	.292	.392	.545	.937	152	271		2	1		2	*89/H
1932	23	NYG	NL	154	673	566	119	180	30	8	38	123	6	5	100	39	.318	.424	.601	1.025	174	340		4	3		4	*9	MVP-10
1933	24	NYG	NL	152	661	580	98	164	36	1	23	103	1	5	75	48	.283	.367	.467	.834	138	271	10	2	4		4	*98
1934	25	NYG	NL	153	671	582	119	190	29	10	35	135	0	3	85	43	.326	.415	.591	1.006	168	344	10	3	1		13	*98	AS,MVP-5
1935	26	NYG	NL	152	683	593	113	191	33	6	31	114	7	5	82	58	.322	.407	.555	.962	157	329	4	3	5		12	*95	AS,MVP-20
1936	27	NYG	NL	150	660	534	120	175	28	6	33	135	6	4	111	41	.328	.448	.588	1.036	177	314	8	5	10		16	*9/H	AS,MVP-6
1937	28	NYG	NL	151	654	545	99	160	28	2	31	95	7	7	102	69	.294	.408	.523	.931	150	285	4	3	4		9	95/H	AS,MVP-7
1938	29	NYG	NL	150	654	527	116	164	23	6	36	116	2	4	118	47	.311	.442	.583	1.024	178	307	8	5	2		13	*59/H	AS,MVP-4
1939	30	NYG	NL	125	508	396	85	122	23	2	27	80	2	3	100	50	.308	.449	.581	1.030	174	230	5	1	11		5	95H	AS,MVP-11
1940	31	NYG	NL	151	647	536	89	155	27	3	19	79	6	6	100	50	.289	.407	.457	.864	137	245	9	6	5		7	*95/H	AS
1941	32	NYG	NL	148	634	525	89	150	29	0	27	90	5	7	100	68	.286	.403	.495	.898	150	260	2	3	6		4	*9/H7	AS,MVP-19
1942	33	NYG	NL	152	664	549	118	162	21	0	30	93	6	3	109	61	.295	.415	.497	.912	165	273	8	3	3		2	*9	AS,MVP-3
1943	34	NYG	NL	125	484	380	65	89	12	2	18	47	7	3	95	48	.234	.391	.418	.810	134	159	4	3	4		9	*9H/5	AS,MVP-20
1944	35	NYG	NL	120	494	399	91	115	16	4	26	82	2	1	90	47	.288	.423	.544	.967	172	217	3	3	2		14	*9H/5	AS,MVP-16
1945	36	NYG	NL	135	534	451	73	139	23	0	21	79	1	2	71	41	.308	.411	.499	.910	151	225	6	8	2		10	*9H	AS,MVP-13
1946	37	NYG	NL	31	78	68	2	5	1	0	1	4	0	0	8	15	.074	.171	.132	.303	-13	9	1	0	2		0	H9
1947	38	NYG	NL	4	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	-100	0	0	0	0		0	/H
22 Yrs				2730	11347	9456	1859	2876	488	72	511	1860	89	95	1708	896	.304	.414	.533	.947	155	5041	82	64	110		129
162 Game Avg.				162	673	561	110	171	29	4	30	110	5	6	101	53	.304	.414	.533	.947	155	299		4	7		8
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/27/2024.

Joe Medwick: The Triple Crown Winner

Medwick, nicknamed “Muscles,” was known for his batting prowess and versatility. His most notable achievement came in 1937 when he won the NL Triple Crown, leading the league in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. Here are some key stats from his career:

Batting average: .324
Hits: 2,471
Home runs: 205
RBIs: 1,383

Medwick was a ten-time All-Star and led the league in RBIs three times. His 1937 season remains one of the most remarkable in baseball history, as he also led the NL in hits, runs scored, doubles, total bases, and slugging percentage.

Awards and Accolades

Mel Ott’s Achievements

Ott’s career was decorated with numerous awards and honors:

12× All-Star (1934–1945)
World Series champion (1933)
6× NL home run leader (1932, 1934, 1936–1938, 1942)
NL RBI leader (1934)
San Francisco Giants No. 4 retired
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1951)

Ott’s impact on the game was profound, and his number 4 jersey was retired by the Giants, cementing his legacy with the team.

Joe Medwick’s Accolades

Medwick’s list of accomplishments is equally impressive:

10× All-Star (1934–1942, 1944)
World Series champion (1934)
NL MVP (1937)
Triple Crown (1937)
NL batting champion (1937)
NL home run leader (1937)
3× NL RBI leader (1936–1938)
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1968)

Induction into the Hall of Fame, both MLB and Cardinals, capped off Medwick’s illustrious career.

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1932	20	STL	NL	26	109	106	13	37	12	1	2	12	3	1	2	10	.349	.367	.538	.905	136	57		1	0		0	8/7
1933	21	STL	NL	148	627	595	92	182	40	10	18	98	5	2	26	56	.306	.337	.497	.835	130	296	15	2	3		5	*7/H	MVP-18
1934	22	STL	NL	149	646	620	110	198	40	18	18	106	3	1	21	83	.319	.343	.529	.872	124	328	15	1	4		4	*7/9	AS
1935	23	STL	NL	154	670	634	132	224	46	13	23	126	4	3	30	59	.353	.386	.576	.962	151	365	15	4	2		6	*7	AS,MVP-5
1936	24	STL	NL	155	677	636	115	223	64	13	18	138	3	1	34	33	.351	.387	.577	.964	158	367	14	4	3		8	*7	AS,MVP-4
1937	25	STL	NL	156	677	633	111	*237*	56	10	31	154	4	5	41	50	.374	.414	.641	1.056	182	406	11	2	1		13	*7	AS,MVP-1
1938	26	STL	NL	146	634	590	100	190	47	8	21	122	0	1	42	41	.322	.369	.536	.905	141	316	21	2	0		11	*7/H	AS,MVP-11
1939	27	STL	NL	150	667	606	98	201	48	8	14	117	6	1	45	44	.332	.380	.507	.886	131	307	15	2	14		11	*7/H	AS,MVP-7
1940	28	TOT	NL	143	616	581	83	175	30	12	17	86	2	6	32	36	.301	.341	.482	.823	119	280	19	3	0		4	*7/H	AS
1940	28	STL	NL	37	164	158	21	48	12	0	3	20	0	0	6	8	.304	.329	.437	.766	105	69	8	0	0		1	7
1940	28	BRO	NL	106	452	423	62	127	18	12	14	66	2	6	26	28	.300	.345	.499	.844	124	211	11	3	0		3	*7/H
1941	29	BRO	NL	133	579	538	100	171	33	10	18	88	2	3	38	35	.318	.364	.517	.881	141	278	20	1	2		7	*7/H	AS
1942	30	BRO	NL	142	587	553	69	166	37	4	4	96	2	6	32	25	.300	.338	.403	.742	115	223	15	0	2		8	*7/H	AS,MVP-17
1943	31	TOT	NL	126	520	497	54	138	30	3	5	70	1	2	19	22	.278	.306	.380	.686	97	189	17	1	3		6	*7/H3
1943	31	BRO	NL	48	184	173	13	47	10	0	0	25	1	0	10	8	.272	.315	.329	.645	85	57	4	1	0		3	7/H
1943	31	NYG	NL	78	336	324	41	91	20	3	5	45	0	2	9	14	.281	.300	.407	.708	103	132	13	0	3		3	7/3H
1944	32	NYG	NL	128	535	490	64	165	24	3	7	85	2	5	38	24	.337	.386	.441	.826	133	216	12	1	6		9	*7/H	AS,MVP-20
1945	33	TOT	NL	92	328	310	31	90	17	0	3	37	5	0	14	14	.290	.323	.374	.697	93	116	9	1	3		2	7H3
1945	33	NYG	NL	26	97	92	14	28	4	0	3	11	2	0	2	2	.304	.319	.446	.765	110	41	3	0	3		0	7/H
1945	33	BSN	NL	66	231	218	17	62	13	0	0	26	3	0	12	12	.284	.325	.344	.669	86	75	6	1	0		2	73H
1946	34	BRO	NL	41	85	77	7	24	4	0	2	18	0	0	6	5	.312	.369	.442	.811	128	34	1	1	1		3	H7/3
1947	35	STL	NL	75	166	150	19	46	12	0	4	28	0	0	16	12	.307	.373	.467	.840	118	70	3	0	0		4	9H/7
1948	36	STL	NL	20	20	19	0	4	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	2	.211	.250	.211	.461	23	4	1	0	0		0	H
17 Yrs				1984	8143	7635	1198	2471	540	113	205	1383	42	37	437	551	.324	.362	.505	.867	134	3852	203	26	44		101
162 Game Avg.				162	665	623	98	202	44	9	17	113	3	3	36	45	.324	.362	.505	.867	134	315		2	4		8
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
STL (11 yrs)				1216	5057	4747	811	1590	377	81	152	923	28	15	264	398	.335	.372	.545	.917	142	2585	118	18	27		63
BRO (5 yrs)				470	1887	1764	251	535	102	26	38	293	7	15	112	101	.303	.347	.455	.802	123	803	51	6	5		24
NYG (3 yrs)				232	968	906	119	284	48	6	15	141	4	7	49	40	.313	.349	.429	.779	121	389	28	1	12		12
BSN (1 yr)				66	231	218	17	62	13	0	0	26	3	0	12	12	.284	.325	.344	.669	86	75	6	1	0		2

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/27/2024.

Comparing Their Impact on the Game

Mel Ott: The Polo Grounds Hero

Ott’s career was synonymous with the New York Giants and the Polo Grounds, where he hit 323 of his 511 home runs. His unique batting style, involving lifting his forward foot, distinguished him from his peers and contributed to his power. Ott’s consistency in leading his team in home runs for 18 consecutive seasons is a record that stands to this day.

Joe Medwick: The Fearsome Competitor

Medwick’s aggressive style and batting prowess made him a key figure in the “Gashouse Gang” Cardinals of the 1930s. His 1937 Triple Crown season is a testament to his dominance at the plate, and his ability to lead the league in multiple categories highlighted his versatility.

Different Paths, Same Greatness

Ott’s Loyalty and Longevity

Ott’s entire career was spent with the New York Giants, a testament to his loyalty and consistency. His leadership on and off the field made him a beloved figure in New York. Despite the challenges he faced as a player-manager during World War II, Ott remained a crucial part of the Giants’ history.

Medwick’s Journeyman Career

While Medwick started and ended his career with the Cardinals, he also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Boston Braves. His trade to the Dodgers in 1940 and subsequent beanball incident with former teammate Bob Bowman are notable moments in his career. Despite the challenges, Medwick continued to produce offensively, aiding the Dodgers in their 1941 pennant win.

Medwick’s post-playing career as a minor league manager and hitting instructor showcased his dedication to the game, and his influence continued long after his playing days were over.

Awards and Accolades

Mel Ott’s Hardware

12× All-Star (1934–1945)
World Series champion (1933)
6× NL home run leader (1932, 1934, 1936–1938, 1942)
NL RBI leader (1934)
San Francisco Giants No. 4 retired
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1951)

Joe Medwick’s Trophies

10× All-Star (1934–1942, 1944)
World Series champion (1934)
NL MVP (1937)
Triple Crown (1937)
NL batting champion (1937)
NL home run leader (1937)
3× NL RBI leader (1936–1938)
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1968)

Conclusion: Two Giants of Baseball

Mel Ott and Joe Medwick, despite their different paths and styles, both left an indelible mark on the world of baseball. Ott’s consistency, power, and loyalty to the Giants made him an all-time great. Medwick’s aggressive, hard-hitting style and his historic Triple Crown season ensured his place among baseball’s legends. Both players’ legacies continue to influence and inspire new generations of baseball fans and players alike.