Ryan Braun vs Josh Hamilton: Career Stats Comparison
Ryan Braun 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). Ryan Braun played 2007–2020 as a hitter; Josh Hamilton played 2007–2015 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
Ryan Braun (2007–2020) and Josh Hamilton (2007–2015) — both broke in during the 2000s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Ryan Braun finished with 1,963 hits and 352 home runs; Josh Hamilton finished with 1,134 hits and 200 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ryan Braun, with 352 to Josh Hamilton's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ryan Braun, with .891 to Josh Hamilton's .865.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ryan Braun, with .296 to Josh Hamilton's .290.
- Who had more hits? Ryan Braun, with 1,963 to Josh Hamilton's 1,134.
- Who drove in more runs? Ryan Braun, with 1,154 to Josh Hamilton's 701.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ryan Braun, with 27,762 career PIV to Josh Hamilton's 13,689.
Ryan Braun
Josh Hamilton
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ryan Braun and Josh Hamilton. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ryan Braun | Josh Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,766 | 1,027 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 6,622 | 3,909 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,080 | 609 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,963 | 1,134 |
| Doubles | Leads: 408 | 234 |
| Triples | Leads: 49 | 24 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 352 | 200 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,154 | 701 |
| Walks | Leads: 586 | 352 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,363 | 938 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 216 | 50 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .296 | .290 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .358 | .349 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .532 | .516 |
| OPS | Leads: .891 | .865 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ryan Braun outpaces Josh Hamilton 27,762 to 13,689 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,983 PIV per season to 1,521, across 14 seasons to 9. 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).
Ryan Braun — top 3 seasons by OPS
Josh Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ryan Braun leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Josh Hamilton owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ryan Braun. PIV agrees: Ryan Braun grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ryan Braun and Josh Hamilton careers compare
The careers of Ryan Braun (2007–2020) and Josh Hamilton (2007–2015) overlapped from 2007 to 2015, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Ryan Braun appeared in 1,766 games to Josh Hamilton's 1,027. Ryan Braun leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Ryan Braun struck out more than walked (1,363 to 586), and Josh Hamilton struck out more than walked (938 to 352). Ryan Braun was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Ryan Braun holds the edge, .532 to .516.
Ryan Braun vs Josh Hamilton: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ryan Braun or Josh Hamilton?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ryan Braun leads Josh Hamilton in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ryan Braun or Josh Hamilton hit more home runs?
- Ryan Braun, with 352 to Josh Hamilton's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ryan Braun, with .891 to Josh Hamilton's .865.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ryan Braun, with .296 to Josh Hamilton's .290.
- Who had more hits?
- Ryan Braun, with 1,963 to Josh Hamilton's 1,134.