Hank Aaron vs Rusty Staub: Career Stats Comparison

Hank Aaron (1954–1976) and Rusty Staub (1963–1985) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Hank Aaron finished with 3,771 hits and 755 home runs; Rusty Staub finished with 2,716 hits and 292 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Hank Aaron

Hitter · 1954–1976
Games
3,298
Hits
3,771
Home Runs
755
RBI
2,297
Avg
.305
OPS
.928
View Hank Aaron's full profile →

Rusty Staub

Hitter · 1963–1985
Games
2,951
Hits
2,716
Home Runs
292
RBI
1,466
Avg
.279
OPS
.793
View Rusty Staub's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Hank Aaron and Rusty Staub. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Hank Aaron Rusty Staub
Games 3,298 2,951
At-Bats 12,364 9,720
Runs 2,174 1,189
Hits 3,771 2,716
Doubles 624 499
Triples 98 47
Home Runs 755 292
RBI 2,297 1,466
Walks 1,402 1,255
Strikeouts 1,383 888
Stolen Bases 240 47
Batting Avg .305 .279
On-Base % .374 .362
Slugging % .555 .431
OPS .928 .793

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Aaron outpaces Rusty Staub 78,640 to 30,346 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,419 vs 1,264 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Hank Aaron
78,640
Career PIV · 3,419 per season (23 seasons)
Rusty Staub
30,346
Career PIV · 1,264 per season (24 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Hank Aaron — top 3 seasons by OPS

19711.079 OPS47 HR, 118 RBI, .327 avg
19731.045 OPS40 HR, 96 RBI, .301 avg
19591.037 OPS39 HR, 123 RBI, .355 avg

Rusty Staub — top 3 seasons by OPS

1969.952 OPS29 HR, 79 RBI, .302 avg
1970.891 OPS30 HR, 94 RBI, .274 avg
1971.874 OPS19 HR, 97 RBI, .311 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Hank Aaron leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Rusty Staub owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Aaron. PIV agrees: Hank Aaron grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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