Barry Bonds vs Miguel Cabrera: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds 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). Barry Bonds played 1986–2007 as a hitter; Miguel Cabrera played 2003–2023 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
Barry Bonds (1986–2007) and Miguel Cabrera (2003–2023) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 home runs; Miguel Cabrera finished with 3,174 hits and 511 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Barry Bonds, with 762 to Miguel Cabrera's 511.
- Who had the higher OPS? Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Miguel Cabrera's .901.
- Who had the higher batting average? Miguel Cabrera, with .306 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits? Miguel Cabrera, with 3,174 to Barry Bonds's 2,935.
- Who drove in more runs? Barry Bonds, with 1,996 to Miguel Cabrera's 1,881.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Barry Bonds, with 96,025 career PIV to Miguel Cabrera's 49,680.
- Who won more championships? Miguel Cabrera, with 1 World Series title to Barry Bonds's 0.
Barry Bonds
Miguel Cabrera
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds and Miguel Cabrera. 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 1980s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Barry Bonds | Miguel Cabrera |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,986 | 2,797 |
| At-Bats | 9,847 | Leads: 10,356 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,227 | 1,551 |
| Hits | 2,935 | Leads: 3,174 |
| Doubles | 601 | Leads: 627 |
| Triples | Leads: 77 | 17 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 762 | 511 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,996 | 1,881 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,558 | 1,258 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,539 | 2,105 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 514 | 40 |
| Batting Avg | .298 | Leads: .306 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .444 | .382 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .607 | .518 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.051 | .901 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds outpaces Miguel Cabrera 96,025 to 49,680 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,365 PIV per season to 2,366, across 22 seasons to 21. 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).
Barry Bonds — top 3 seasons by OPS
Miguel Cabrera — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Miguel Cabrera owns hits and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Barry Bonds. PIV agrees: Barry Bonds grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Barry Bonds and Miguel Cabrera careers compare
Barry Bonds and Miguel Cabrera were active at the same time between 2003 and 2007. The two careers are close in length, 2,986 games for Barry Bonds and 2,797 for Miguel Cabrera across 22 and 21 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Miguel Cabrera comes out ahead, it is in at-bats (10,356 to 9,847), hits (3,174 to 2,935), and doubles (627 to 601). At the plate, Barry Bonds walked more often than struck out (2,558 walks, 1,539 strikeouts), while Miguel Cabrera struck out more than walked (2,105 to 1,258).
Barry Bonds vs Miguel Cabrera: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Barry Bonds or Miguel Cabrera?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Miguel Cabrera in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Barry Bonds or Miguel Cabrera hit more home runs?
- Barry Bonds, with 762 to Miguel Cabrera's 511.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Miguel Cabrera's .901.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Miguel Cabrera, with .306 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits?
- Miguel Cabrera, with 3,174 to Barry Bonds's 2,935.