Heath Bell vs Kenley Jansen: Career Stats Comparison
Kenley Jansen has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Heath Bell played 2004–2014 as a pitcher; Kenley Jansen has played 2010–present as a pitcher.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
Heath Bell (2004–2014) and Kenley Jansen (2010–present) — breaking in during the 2000s and the 2010s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Heath Bell finished with 38 wins and 637 strikeouts; Kenley Jansen has 58 wins and 1,329 strikeouts through October 12, 2026. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Kenley Jansen, with 2.60 to Heath Bell's 3.49.
- Who won more games? Kenley Jansen, with 58 to Heath Bell's 38.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Kenley Jansen, with 1,329 to Heath Bell's 637.
- Who had the better WHIP? Kenley Jansen, with 0.97 to Heath Bell's 1.27.
- Who pitched more innings? Kenley Jansen, with 972.1 to Heath Bell's 628.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Neither — both are at 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Kenley Jansen, with 34,863 career Pitcher PIV to Heath Bell's 16,481.
Kenley Jansen
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 12 of the 16 lines below are scored; the other 4 are counting totals on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded them. Totals where fewer is not an achievement -- losses, walks and hits allowed -- are left unmarked, because they track how long someone pitched rather than how well. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 2000s and the 2010s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Kenley Jansen is still active — his totals below are current through October 12, 2026.
| Statistic | Heath Bell | Kenley Jansen |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 38 | Leads: 58 |
| Losses not scored | 32 | 46 |
| Games | 590 | Leads: 983 |
| Games Started | 0 | 0 |
| Complete Games | 0 | 0 |
| Shutouts | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | 168 | Leads: 498 |
| Strikeouts | 637 | Leads: 1,329 |
| Walks not scored | 214 | 305 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 584 | 634 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 48 | 95 |
| Innings Pitched | 628.2 | Leads: 972.1 |
| ERA | 3.49 | Leads: 2.60 |
| WHIP | 1.27 | Leads: 0.97 |
| K/9 | 9.12 | Leads: 12.30 |
| BB/9 | 3.06 | Leads: 2.82 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Kenley Jansen outpaces Heath Bell 34,863 to 16,481 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,179 PIV per season to 1,498, across 16 seasons to 11. 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 ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
Heath Bell
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Kenley Jansen
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Kenley Jansen leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Heath Bell owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Kenley Jansen. PIV agrees: Kenley Jansen grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Heath Bell and Kenley Jansen careers compare
The careers of Heath Bell (2004–2014) and Kenley Jansen (2010–present) overlapped from 2010 to 2014, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Kenley Jansen has the far longer record, 983 games against 590 across 11 and 16 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Kenley Jansen leads every scored row of the table. The per-nine rows read 9.12 strikeouts and 3.06 walks for Heath Bell, 12.30 and 2.82 for Kenley Jansen. Both had the same role: Heath Bell worked mostly in relief (0 starts in 590 games, 168 saves); Kenley Jansen worked mostly in relief (0 starts in 983 games, 498 saves). In WHIP, Kenley Jansen's 0.97 beats Heath Bell's 1.27. Because Kenley Jansen is still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
Heath Bell vs Kenley Jansen: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Heath Bell or Kenley Jansen?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Kenley Jansen leads Heath Bell in 9 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Kenley Jansen, with 2.60 to Heath Bell's 3.49.
- Who won more games?
- Kenley Jansen, with 58 to Heath Bell's 38.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Kenley Jansen, with 1,329 to Heath Bell's 637.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Kenley Jansen, with 0.97 to Heath Bell's 1.27.