Barry Bonds vs Fred Lynn: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds has the better career line of the two, leading 14 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; Fred Lynn played 1974–1990 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 Fred Lynn (1974–1990) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 home runs; Fred Lynn finished with 1,960 hits and 306 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 Fred Lynn's 306.
- Who had the higher OPS? Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Fred Lynn's .845.
- Who had the higher batting average? Barry Bonds, with .298 to Fred Lynn's .283.
- Who had more hits? Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Fred Lynn's 1,960.
- Who drove in more runs? Barry Bonds, with 1,996 to Fred Lynn's 1,111.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Barry Bonds, with 96,025 career PIV to Fred Lynn's 25,648.
Barry Bonds
Fred Lynn
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds and Fred Lynn. 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 1970s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Barry Bonds | Fred Lynn |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,986 | 1,969 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,847 | 6,925 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,227 | 1,063 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,935 | 1,960 |
| Doubles | Leads: 601 | 388 |
| Triples | Leads: 77 | 43 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 762 | 306 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,996 | 1,111 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,558 | 857 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,539 | 1,116 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 514 | 72 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .298 | .283 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .444 | .360 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .607 | .484 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.051 | .845 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds outpaces Fred Lynn 96,025 to 25,648 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,365 PIV per season to 1,425, across 22 seasons to 18. 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
Fred Lynn — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Fred Lynn owns no headline categories. 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 Fred Lynn careers compare
Barry Bonds and Fred Lynn were active at the same time between 1986 and 1990. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Barry Bonds appeared in 2,986 games to Fred Lynn's 1,969. Barry Bonds leads every scored row of the table. Plate discipline differs: Barry Bonds walked more often than struck out (2,558 walks, 1,539 strikeouts), but Fred Lynn struck out more than walked (1,116 to 857). Home runs make up a larger share of Barry Bonds's hits: 762 of 2,935 for Barry Bonds, 306 of 1,960 for Fred Lynn. Barry Bonds was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.
Barry Bonds vs Fred Lynn: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Barry Bonds or Fred Lynn?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Fred Lynn in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Barry Bonds or Fred Lynn hit more home runs?
- Barry Bonds, with 762 to Fred Lynn's 306.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Fred Lynn's .845.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Barry Bonds, with .298 to Fred Lynn's .283.
- Who had more hits?
- Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Fred Lynn's 1,960.