Johnny Bench vs Ted Simmons: Career Stats Comparison
Johnny Bench (1967–1983) and Ted Simmons (1968–1988) — both broke in during the 1960s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Johnny Bench finished with 2,048 hits and 389 home runs; Ted Simmons finished with 2,472 hits and 248 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Johnny Bench
Ted Simmons
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Johnny Bench and Ted Simmons. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Johnny Bench | Ted Simmons |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,158 | 2,456 |
| At-Bats | 7,658 | 8,680 |
| Runs | 1,091 | 1,074 |
| Hits | 2,048 | 2,472 |
| Doubles | 381 | 483 |
| Triples | 24 | 47 |
| Home Runs | 389 | 248 |
| RBI | 1,376 | 1,389 |
| Walks | 891 | 855 |
| Strikeouts | 1,278 | 694 |
| Stolen Bases | 68 | 21 |
| Batting Avg | .267 | .285 |
| On-Base % | .342 | .348 |
| Slugging % | .476 | .437 |
| OPS | .817 | .785 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Johnny Bench leads Ted Simmons 25,321 to 20,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,489 vs 959 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Ted Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Johnny Bench leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and OPS, while Ted Simmons owns hits, RBI, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Johnny Bench. PIV agrees: Johnny Bench grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.