Kevin Brown vs David Wells: Career Stats Comparison

Kevin Brown (1986–2005) and David Wells (1987–2007) — both came up during the 1980s, so the matchup is a direct one. Kevin Brown compiled 211 wins and 2,397 strikeouts; David Wells put up 239 wins and 2,201 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Kevin Brown

Pitcher · 1986–2005
Wins
211
Losses
144
Strikeouts
2,397
ERA
3.28
WHIP
1.22
IP
3,256
View Kevin Brown's full profile →

David Wells

Pitcher · 1987–2007
Wins
239
Losses
157
Strikeouts
2,201
ERA
4.13
WHIP
1.27
IP
3,439
View David Wells's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.

Statistic Kevin Brown David Wells
Wins 211 239
Losses 144 157
Games 486 660
Games Started 476 489
Complete Games 72 54
Shutouts 17 12
Saves 0 13
Strikeouts 2,397 2,201
Walks 901 719
Hits Allowed 3,079 3,635
Home Runs Allowed 208 407
Innings Pitched 3,256 3,439
ERA 3.28 4.13
WHIP 1.22 1.27
K/9 6.62 5.76
BB/9 2.49 1.88

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Kevin Brown outpaces David Wells 82,163 to 31,301 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,324 vs 1,304 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Kevin Brown
82,163
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,324 per season (19 seasons)
David Wells
31,301
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,304 per season (24 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Kevin Brown — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19961.89 ERA17-11, 159 K in 233 IP
19982.38 ERA18-7, 257 K in 257 IP
20032.39 ERA14-9, 185 K in 211 IP

David Wells — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19953.04 ERA10-3, 83 K in 130 IP
19903.14 ERA11-6, 115 K in 189 IP
19983.49 ERA18-4, 163 K in 214 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Kevin Brown leads in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, and K/9, while David Wells owns wins and innings pitched. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Kevin Brown. PIV agrees: Kevin Brown grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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