Johnny Bench vs Roberto Clemente: Career Stats Comparison
Roberto Clemente 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). Johnny Bench played 1967–1983 as a hitter; Roberto Clemente played 1955–1972 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
Johnny Bench (1967–1983) and Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Johnny Bench finished with 2,048 hits and 389 home runs; Roberto Clemente finished with 3,000 hits and 240 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Johnny Bench, with 389 to Roberto Clemente's 240.
- Who had the higher OPS? Roberto Clemente, with .834 to Johnny Bench's .817.
- Who had the higher batting average? Roberto Clemente, with .317 to Johnny Bench's .267.
- Who had more hits? Roberto Clemente, with 3,000 to Johnny Bench's 2,048.
- Who drove in more runs? Johnny Bench, with 1,376 to Roberto Clemente's 1,305.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Roberto Clemente, with 34,131 career PIV to Johnny Bench's 25,321.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 2 World Series titles.
Johnny Bench
Roberto Clemente
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Johnny Bench and Roberto Clemente. 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 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Johnny Bench | Roberto Clemente |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,158 | Leads: 2,433 |
| At-Bats | 7,658 | Leads: 9,454 |
| Runs | 1,091 | Leads: 1,416 |
| Hits | 2,048 | Leads: 3,000 |
| Doubles | 381 | Leads: 440 |
| Triples | 24 | Leads: 166 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 389 | 240 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,376 | 1,305 |
| Walks | Leads: 891 | 621 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,278 | 1,230 |
| Stolen Bases | 68 | Leads: 83 |
| Batting Avg | .267 | Leads: .317 |
| On-Base % | .342 | Leads: .359 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .476 | .475 |
| OPS | .817 | Leads: .834 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Roberto Clemente outpaces Johnny Bench 34,131 to 25,321 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,896 PIV per season to 1,489, across 18 seasons to 17. 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).
Johnny Bench — top 3 seasons by OPS
Roberto Clemente — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Roberto Clemente leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Johnny Bench owns home runs and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Roberto Clemente. PIV agrees: Roberto Clemente grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Johnny Bench and Roberto Clemente careers compare
The careers of Johnny Bench (1967–1983) and Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) overlapped from 1967 to 1972, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,158 games against 2,433 across 17 and 18 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Johnny Bench are home runs (389 to 240), RBI (1,376 to 1,305), and walks (891 to 621). Johnny Bench struck out more than walked (1,278 to 891); Roberto Clemente struck out more than walked (1,230 to 621). Home runs make up a larger share of Johnny Bench's hits: 389 of 2,048 for Johnny Bench, 240 of 3,000 for Roberto Clemente.
Johnny Bench vs Roberto Clemente: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Johnny Bench or Roberto Clemente?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Roberto Clemente leads Johnny Bench in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Johnny Bench or Roberto Clemente hit more home runs?
- Johnny Bench, with 389 to Roberto Clemente's 240.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Roberto Clemente, with .834 to Johnny Bench's .817.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Roberto Clemente, with .317 to Johnny Bench's .267.
- Who had more hits?
- Roberto Clemente, with 3,000 to Johnny Bench's 2,048.