Jeff Bagwell vs Orlando Cepeda: Career Stats Comparison

Jeff Bagwell (1991–2005) and Orlando Cepeda (1958–1974) — they broke in during the 1990s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jeff Bagwell finished with 2,314 hits and 449 home runs; Orlando Cepeda finished with 2,351 hits and 379 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Jeff Bagwell

Hitter · 1991–2005
Games
2,150
Hits
2,314
Home Runs
449
RBI
1,529
Avg
.297
OPS
.948
View Jeff Bagwell's full profile →

Orlando Cepeda

Hitter · 1958–1974
Games
2,124
Hits
2,351
Home Runs
379
RBI
1,365
Avg
.297
OPS
.849
View Orlando Cepeda's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jeff Bagwell and Orlando Cepeda. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Jeff Bagwell Orlando Cepeda
Games 2,150 2,124
At-Bats 7,797 7,927
Runs 1,517 1,131
Hits 2,314 2,351
Doubles 488 417
Triples 32 27
Home Runs 449 379
RBI 1,529 1,365
Walks 1,401 588
Strikeouts 1,558 1,169
Stolen Bases 202 142
Batting Avg .297 .297
On-Base % .408 .350
Slugging % .540 .499
OPS .948 .849

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jeff Bagwell outpaces Orlando Cepeda 47,120 to 32,785 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,141 vs 1,726 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jeff Bagwell
47,120
Career PIV · 3,141 per season (15 seasons)
Orlando Cepeda
32,785
Career PIV · 1,726 per season (19 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Jeff Bagwell — top 3 seasons by OPS

19941.201 OPS39 HR, 116 RBI, .367 avg
19991.045 OPS42 HR, 126 RBI, .304 avg
20001.039 OPS47 HR, 132 RBI, .310 avg

Orlando Cepeda — top 3 seasons by OPS

1961.970 OPS46 HR, 142 RBI, .311 avg
1963.929 OPS34 HR, 97 RBI, .316 avg
1967.923 OPS25 HR, 111 RBI, .325 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jeff Bagwell leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Orlando Cepeda owns hits. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jeff Bagwell. PIV agrees: Jeff Bagwell grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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