Jason Bay vs Matt Holliday: Career Stats Comparison
Matt Holliday has the better career line of the two, leading 14 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; Matt Holliday played 2004–2018 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 Matt Holliday (2004–2018) — 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; Matt Holliday finished with 2,096 hits and 316 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Matt Holliday, with 316 to Jason Bay's 222.
- Who had the higher OPS? Matt Holliday, with .889 to Jason Bay's .841.
- Who had the higher batting average? Matt Holliday, with .299 to Jason Bay's .266.
- Who had more hits? Matt Holliday, with 2,096 to Jason Bay's 1,200.
- Who drove in more runs? Matt Holliday, with 1,220 to Jason Bay's 754.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Matt Holliday, with 30,426 career PIV to Jason Bay's 12,505.
- Who won more championships? Matt Holliday, with 1 World Series title to Jason Bay's 0.
Matt Holliday
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. 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 | Matt Holliday |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,278 | Leads: 1,903 |
| At-Bats | 4,505 | Leads: 7,009 |
| Runs | 737 | Leads: 1,157 |
| Hits | 1,200 | Leads: 2,096 |
| Doubles | 240 | Leads: 468 |
| Triples | 30 | Leads: 32 |
| Home Runs | 222 | Leads: 316 |
| RBI | 754 | Leads: 1,220 |
| Walks | 636 | Leads: 802 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,216 | 1,362 |
| Stolen Bases | 95 | Leads: 108 |
| Batting Avg | .266 | Leads: .299 |
| On-Base % | .360 | Leads: .379 |
| Slugging % | .481 | Leads: .510 |
| OPS | .841 | Leads: .889 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Matt Holliday outpaces Jason Bay 30,426 to 12,505 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,902 PIV per season to 962, across 16 seasons to 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
Matt Holliday — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Matt Holliday leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Jason Bay owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Matt Holliday. PIV agrees: Matt Holliday grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jason Bay and Matt Holliday careers compare
Jason Bay and Matt Holliday were active at the same time between 2004 and 2013. With 1,278 games against 1,903 across 13 and 16 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Matt Holliday leads every scored row of the table. Jason Bay struck out more than walked (1,216 to 636); Matt Holliday struck out more than walked (1,362 to 802). Jason Bay was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Matt Holliday holds the edge, .510 to .481. On the peak-season lists, Jason Bay's best year is 2005 at .961 OPS and Matt Holliday's is 2007 at 1.012 OPS; Matt Holliday has the stronger single season.
Jason Bay vs Matt Holliday: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jason Bay or Matt Holliday?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Matt Holliday leads Jason Bay in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jason Bay or Matt Holliday hit more home runs?
- Matt Holliday, with 316 to Jason Bay's 222.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Matt Holliday, with .889 to Jason Bay's .841.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Matt Holliday, with .299 to Jason Bay's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Matt Holliday, with 2,096 to Jason Bay's 1,200.