Bobby Bonds vs Dale Murphy: Career Stats Comparison

Bobby Bonds (1968–1981) and Dale Murphy (1976–1993) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Bobby Bonds finished with 1,886 hits and 332 home runs; Dale Murphy finished with 2,111 hits and 398 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Bobby Bonds

Hitter · 1968–1981
Games
1,849
Hits
1,886
Home Runs
332
RBI
1,024
Avg
.268
OPS
.824
View Bobby Bonds's full profile →

Dale Murphy

Hitter · 1976–1993
Games
2,180
Hits
2,111
Home Runs
398
RBI
1,266
Avg
.265
OPS
.815
View Dale Murphy's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bobby Bonds and Dale Murphy. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Bobby Bonds Dale Murphy
Games 1,849 2,180
At-Bats 7,043 7,960
Runs 1,258 1,197
Hits 1,886 2,111
Doubles 302 350
Triples 66 39
Home Runs 332 398
RBI 1,024 1,266
Walks 914 986
Strikeouts 1,757 1,748
Stolen Bases 461 161
Batting Avg .268 .265
On-Base % .353 .346
Slugging % .471 .469
OPS .824 .815

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bobby Bonds edges Dale Murphy 25,739 to 24,431 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,716 vs 1,286 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Bobby Bonds
25,739
Career PIV · 1,716 per season (15 seasons)
Dale Murphy
24,431
Career PIV · 1,286 per season (19 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Bobby Bonds — top 3 seasons by OPS

1973.900 OPS39 HR, 96 RBI, .283 avg
1975.888 OPS32 HR, 85 RBI, .270 avg
1970.879 OPS26 HR, 78 RBI, .302 avg

Dale Murphy — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.997 OPS44 HR, 105 RBI, .295 avg
1983.933 OPS36 HR, 121 RBI, .302 avg
1985.927 OPS37 HR, 111 RBI, .300 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Bobby Bonds leads in runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Dale Murphy owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bobby Bonds. PIV agrees: Bobby Bonds grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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