Albert Belle vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison

Albert Belle (1989–2000) and Jim Rice (1974–1989) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Albert Belle finished with 1,726 hits and 381 home runs; Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Albert Belle

Hitter · 1989–2000
Games
1,539
Hits
1,726
Home Runs
381
RBI
1,239
Avg
.295
OPS
.933
View Albert Belle's full profile →

Jim Rice

Hitter · 1974–1989
Games
2,089
Hits
2,452
Home Runs
382
RBI
1,451
Avg
.298
OPS
.854
View Jim Rice's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Albert Belle and Jim Rice. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Albert Belle Jim Rice
Games 1,539 2,089
At-Bats 5,853 8,225
Runs 974 1,249
Hits 1,726 2,452
Doubles 389 373
Triples 21 79
Home Runs 381 382
RBI 1,239 1,451
Walks 683 670
Strikeouts 961 1,423
Stolen Bases 88 58
Batting Avg .295 .298
On-Base % .369 .352
Slugging % .564 .502
OPS .933 .854

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Rice edges Albert Belle 31,418 to 29,356 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,964 vs 2,446 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Albert Belle
29,356
Career PIV · 2,446 per season (12 seasons)
Jim Rice
31,418
Career PIV · 1,964 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Albert Belle — top 3 seasons by OPS

19941.152 OPS36 HR, 101 RBI, .357 avg
19951.091 OPS50 HR, 126 RBI, .317 avg
19981.055 OPS49 HR, 152 RBI, .328 avg

Jim Rice — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.977 OPS39 HR, 130 RBI, .325 avg
1978.970 OPS46 HR, 139 RBI, .315 avg
1977.969 OPS39 HR, 114 RBI, .320 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jim Rice leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Albert Belle owns stolen bases, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Rice. PIV agrees: Jim Rice grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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