Sal Bando vs Rick Monday: Career Stats Comparison
Sal Bando has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Sal Bando played 1966–1981 as a hitter; Rick Monday played 1966–1984 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
Sal Bando (1966–1981) and Rick Monday (1966–1984) — both broke in during the 1960s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Sal Bando finished with 1,790 hits and 242 home runs; Rick Monday finished with 1,619 hits and 241 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Sal Bando, with 242 to Rick Monday's 241.
- Who had the higher OPS? Rick Monday, with .804 to Sal Bando's .760.
- Who had the higher batting average? Rick Monday, with .264 to Sal Bando's .254.
- Who had more hits? Sal Bando, with 1,790 to Rick Monday's 1,619.
- Who drove in more runs? Sal Bando, with 1,039 to Rick Monday's 775.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rick Monday, with 21,071 career PIV to Sal Bando's 16,460.
- Who won more championships? Sal Bando, with 3 World Series titles to Rick Monday's 1.
Sal Bando
Rick Monday
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Sal Bando and Rick Monday. 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 | Sal Bando | Rick Monday |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,019 | 1,986 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,060 | 6,136 |
| Runs | Leads: 982 | 950 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,790 | 1,619 |
| Doubles | Leads: 289 | 248 |
| Triples | 38 | Leads: 64 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 242 | 241 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,039 | 775 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,031 | 924 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 923 | 1,513 |
| Stolen Bases | 75 | Leads: 98 |
| Batting Avg | .254 | Leads: .264 |
| On-Base % | .352 | Leads: .361 |
| Slugging % | .408 | Leads: .443 |
| OPS | .760 | Leads: .804 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rick Monday leads Sal Bando 21,071 to 16,460 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,109 PIV per season to 1,029, across 19 seasons to 16. 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).
Sal Bando — top 3 seasons by OPS
Rick Monday — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rick Monday leads in stolen bases, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Sal Bando owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rick Monday. PIV agrees: Rick Monday grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Sal Bando and Rick Monday careers compare
The careers of Sal Bando (1966–1981) and Rick Monday (1966–1984) overlapped from 1966 to 1981, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,019 games against 1,986 across 16 and 19 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Plate discipline differs: Sal Bando walked more often than struck out (1,031 walks, 923 strikeouts), but Rick Monday struck out more than walked (1,513 to 924). In on-base percentage, Rick Monday holds the edge, .361 to .352. On the peak-season lists, Sal Bando's best year is 1969 at .885 OPS and Rick Monday's is 1976 at .853 OPS; Sal Bando has the stronger single season.
Sal Bando vs Rick Monday: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Sal Bando or Rick Monday?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Sal Bando leads Rick Monday in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Sal Bando or Rick Monday hit more home runs?
- Sal Bando, with 242 to Rick Monday's 241.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Rick Monday, with .804 to Sal Bando's .760.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Rick Monday, with .264 to Sal Bando's .254.
- Who had more hits?
- Sal Bando, with 1,790 to Rick Monday's 1,619.