Harold Baines vs Ken Griffey: Career Stats Comparison
Ken Griffey has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Harold Baines played 1980–2001 as a hitter; Ken Griffey played 1989–2010 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
Harold Baines (1980–2001) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Harold Baines finished with 2,866 hits and 384 home runs; Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ken Griffey, with 630 to Harold Baines's 384.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Harold Baines's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average? Harold Baines, with .289 to Ken Griffey's .284.
- Who had more hits? Harold Baines, with 2,866 to Ken Griffey's 2,781.
- Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Harold Baines's 1,628.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Harold Baines's 25,497.
Harold Baines
Ken Griffey
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harold Baines and Ken Griffey. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Harold Baines | Ken Griffey |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,830 | 2,671 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,908 | 9,801 |
| Runs | 1,299 | Leads: 1,662 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,866 | 2,781 |
| Doubles | 488 | Leads: 524 |
| Triples | Leads: 49 | 38 |
| Home Runs | 384 | Leads: 630 |
| RBI | 1,628 | Leads: 1,836 |
| Walks | 1,062 | Leads: 1,312 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,441 | 1,779 |
| Stolen Bases | 34 | Leads: 184 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .289 | .284 |
| On-Base % | .356 | Leads: .370 |
| Slugging % | .465 | Leads: .538 |
| OPS | .820 | Leads: .907 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Harold Baines 43,975 to 25,497 — driven by per-season impact — 1,912 PIV per season to 944 — rather than by longevity, since Ken Griffey played 23 seasons to Harold Baines's 27. 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).
Harold Baines — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ken Griffey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Harold Baines owns hits and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ken Griffey. PIV agrees: Ken Griffey grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Harold Baines and Ken Griffey careers compare
The careers of Harold Baines (1980–2001) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) overlapped from 1989 to 2001, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,830 games for Harold Baines and 2,671 for Ken Griffey across 27 and 23 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Harold Baines struck out more than walked (1,441 to 1,062), and Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312). Home runs make up a larger share of Ken Griffey's hits: 384 of 2,866 for Harold Baines, 630 of 2,781 for Ken Griffey. Ken Griffey was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Harold Baines vs Ken Griffey: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Harold Baines or Ken Griffey?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Harold Baines in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Harold Baines or Ken Griffey hit more home runs?
- Ken Griffey, with 630 to Harold Baines's 384.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ken Griffey, with .907 to Harold Baines's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Harold Baines, with .289 to Ken Griffey's .284.
- Who had more hits?
- Harold Baines, with 2,866 to Ken Griffey's 2,781.