Harold Baines vs Fred Lynn: Career Stats Comparison
Harold Baines (1980–2001) and Fred Lynn (1974–1990) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Harold Baines finished with 2,866 hits and 384 home runs; Fred Lynn finished with 1,960 hits and 306 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Harold Baines
Fred Lynn
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harold Baines and Fred Lynn. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Harold Baines | Fred Lynn |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,830 | 1,969 |
| At-Bats | 9,908 | 6,925 |
| Runs | 1,299 | 1,063 |
| Hits | 2,866 | 1,960 |
| Doubles | 488 | 388 |
| Triples | 49 | 43 |
| Home Runs | 384 | 306 |
| RBI | 1,628 | 1,111 |
| Walks | 1,062 | 857 |
| Strikeouts | 1,441 | 1,116 |
| Stolen Bases | 34 | 72 |
| Batting Avg | .289 | .283 |
| On-Base % | .356 | .360 |
| Slugging % | .465 | .484 |
| OPS | .820 | .845 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Fred Lynn edges Harold Baines 25,648 to 25,497 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,425 vs 944 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Fred Lynn — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Harold Baines leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Fred Lynn owns stolen bases, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Harold Baines. Note that PIV actually grades Fred Lynn ahead, which means Harold Baines's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.