Harold Baines vs Vladimir Guerrero: Career Stats Comparison
Harold Baines and Vladimir Guerrero are close to even, splitting the 14 scored categories on this page 7–7 (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Harold Baines played 1980–2001 as a hitter; Vladimir Guerrero played 1996–2011 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 Vladimir Guerrero (1996–2011) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Harold Baines finished with 2,866 hits and 384 home runs; Vladimir Guerrero finished with 2,590 hits and 449 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Vladimir Guerrero, with 449 to Harold Baines's 384.
- Who had the higher OPS? Vladimir Guerrero, with .931 to Harold Baines's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average? Vladimir Guerrero, with .318 to Harold Baines's .289.
- Who had more hits? Harold Baines, with 2,866 to Vladimir Guerrero's 2,590.
- Who drove in more runs? Harold Baines, with 1,628 to Vladimir Guerrero's 1,496.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Vladimir Guerrero, with 39,843 career PIV to Harold Baines's 25,497.
Harold Baines
Vladimir Guerrero
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harold Baines and Vladimir Guerrero. 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 1980s and the 1990s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Harold Baines | Vladimir Guerrero |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,830 | 2,147 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,908 | 8,155 |
| Runs | 1,299 | Leads: 1,328 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,866 | 2,590 |
| Doubles | Leads: 488 | 477 |
| Triples | Leads: 49 | 46 |
| Home Runs | 384 | Leads: 449 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,628 | 1,496 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,062 | 737 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,441 | 985 |
| Stolen Bases | 34 | Leads: 181 |
| Batting Avg | .289 | Leads: .318 |
| On-Base % | .356 | Leads: .379 |
| Slugging % | .465 | Leads: .553 |
| OPS | .820 | Leads: .931 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Vladimir Guerrero outpaces Harold Baines 39,843 to 25,497 — driven by per-season impact — 2,490 PIV per season to 944 — rather than by longevity, since Vladimir Guerrero played 16 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
Vladimir Guerrero — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Vladimir Guerrero leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Harold Baines owns hits and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Vladimir Guerrero. PIV agrees: Vladimir Guerrero 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 Vladimir Guerrero careers compare
The careers of Harold Baines (1980–2001) and Vladimir Guerrero (1996–2011) overlapped from 1996 to 2001, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,830 games against 2,147 across 27 and 16 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Harold Baines struck out more than walked (1,441 to 1,062); Vladimir Guerrero struck out more than walked (985 to 737). Vladimir Guerrero was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Vladimir Guerrero holds the edge, .553 to .465. Vladimir Guerrero owns the better peak by OPS: .977 OPS in 1999 for Harold Baines against 1.074 OPS in 2000 for Vladimir Guerrero.
Harold Baines vs Vladimir Guerrero: Frequently Asked Questions
- Did Harold Baines or Vladimir Guerrero hit more home runs?
- Vladimir Guerrero, with 449 to Harold Baines's 384.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Vladimir Guerrero, with .931 to Harold Baines's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Vladimir Guerrero, with .318 to Harold Baines's .289.
- Who had more hits?
- Harold Baines, with 2,866 to Vladimir Guerrero's 2,590.