Carlos Beltran vs David Justice: Career Stats Comparison
Carlos Beltran has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Carlos Beltran played 1998–2017 as a hitter; David Justice played 1989–2002 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
Carlos Beltran (1998–2017) and David Justice (1989–2002) — they broke in during the 1990s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Carlos Beltran finished with 2,725 hits and 435 home runs; David Justice finished with 1,571 hits and 305 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Carlos Beltran, with 435 to David Justice's 305.
- Who had the higher OPS? David Justice, with .878 to Carlos Beltran's .837.
- Who had the higher batting average? Neither — both are at .279.
- Who had more hits? Carlos Beltran, with 2,725 to David Justice's 1,571.
- Who drove in more runs? Carlos Beltran, with 1,587 to David Justice's 1,017.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Carlos Beltran, with 23,622 career PIV to David Justice's 21,452.
- Who won more championships? David Justice, with 2 World Series titles to Carlos Beltran's 1.
Carlos Beltran
David Justice
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Carlos Beltran and David Justice. 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, and the 1990s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Carlos Beltran | David Justice |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,586 | 1,610 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,768 | 5,625 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,582 | 929 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,725 | 1,571 |
| Doubles | Leads: 565 | 280 |
| Triples | Leads: 78 | 24 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 435 | 305 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,587 | 1,017 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,084 | 903 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,795 | 999 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 312 | 53 |
| Batting Avg | .279 | Leads: .279 |
| On-Base % | .350 | Leads: .378 |
| Slugging % | .486 | Leads: .500 |
| OPS | .837 | Leads: .878 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Carlos Beltran leads David Justice 23,622 to 21,452 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Carlos Beltran played 23 seasons to David Justice's 15, while David Justice carries the higher per-season figure (1,430 to 1,027). 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).
Carlos Beltran — top 3 seasons by OPS
David Justice — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Carlos Beltran leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while David Justice owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Carlos Beltran. PIV agrees: Carlos Beltran grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Carlos Beltran and David Justice careers compare
The careers of Carlos Beltran (1998–2017) and David Justice (1989–2002) overlapped from 1998 to 2002, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The table compares 2,586 games of Carlos Beltran with 1,610 of David Justice across 23 and 15 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for David Justice are batting average (.279 to .279), on-base percentage (.378 to .350), and slugging percentage (.500 to .486). At the plate, Carlos Beltran struck out more than walked (1,795 to 1,084), and David Justice struck out more than walked (999 to 903). Carlos Beltran was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Carlos Beltran vs David Justice: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Carlos Beltran or David Justice?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Carlos Beltran leads David Justice in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Carlos Beltran or David Justice hit more home runs?
- Carlos Beltran, with 435 to David Justice's 305.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- David Justice, with .878 to Carlos Beltran's .837.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Neither — both are at .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Carlos Beltran, with 2,725 to David Justice's 1,571.