Jason Bay vs Josh Hamilton: Career Stats Comparison
Jason Bay has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Jason Bay played 2003–2013 as a hitter; Josh Hamilton played 2007–2015 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
Jason Bay (2003–2013) and Josh Hamilton (2007–2015) — both broke in during the 2000s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Jason Bay finished with 1,200 hits and 222 home runs; Josh Hamilton finished with 1,134 hits and 200 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Jason Bay, with 222 to Josh Hamilton's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Josh Hamilton, with .865 to Jason Bay's .841.
- Who had the higher batting average? Josh Hamilton, with .290 to Jason Bay's .266.
- Who had more hits? Jason Bay, with 1,200 to Josh Hamilton's 1,134.
- Who drove in more runs? Jason Bay, with 754 to Josh Hamilton's 701.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Josh Hamilton, with 13,689 career PIV to Jason Bay's 12,505.
Josh Hamilton
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jason Bay and Josh Hamilton. 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 | Jason Bay | Josh Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,278 | 1,027 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 4,505 | 3,909 |
| Runs | Leads: 737 | 609 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,200 | 1,134 |
| Doubles | Leads: 240 | 234 |
| Triples | Leads: 30 | 24 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 222 | 200 |
| RBI | Leads: 754 | 701 |
| Walks | Leads: 636 | 352 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,216 | 938 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 95 | 50 |
| Batting Avg | .266 | Leads: .290 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .360 | .349 |
| Slugging % | .481 | Leads: .516 |
| OPS | .841 | Leads: .865 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Josh Hamilton leads Jason Bay 13,689 to 12,505 — driven by per-season impact — 1,521 PIV per season to 962 — rather than by longevity, since Josh Hamilton played 9 seasons to Jason Bay's 13. 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).
Jason Bay — top 3 seasons by OPS
Josh Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jason Bay leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Josh Hamilton owns batting average and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jason Bay. Note that PIV actually grades Josh Hamilton ahead, which means Jason Bay's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jason Bay and Josh Hamilton careers compare
The careers of Jason Bay (2003–2013) and Josh Hamilton (2007–2015) overlapped from 2007 to 2013, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 1,278 games against 1,027 across 13 and 9 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Josh Hamilton are batting average (.290 to .266), slugging percentage (.516 to .481), and OPS (.865 to .841). At the plate, Jason Bay struck out more than walked (1,216 to 636), and Josh Hamilton struck out more than walked (938 to 352). Josh Hamilton's slugging percentage of .516 tops Jason Bay's .481.
Jason Bay vs Josh Hamilton: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jason Bay or Josh Hamilton?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Jason Bay leads Josh Hamilton in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jason Bay or Josh Hamilton hit more home runs?
- Jason Bay, with 222 to Josh Hamilton's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Josh Hamilton, with .865 to Jason Bay's .841.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Josh Hamilton, with .290 to Jason Bay's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Jason Bay, with 1,200 to Josh Hamilton's 1,134.