Miguel Cabrera vs Jimmy Rollins: Career Stats Comparison

Miguel Cabrera has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Miguel Cabrera played 2003–2023 as a hitter; Jimmy Rollins played 2000–2016 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

Miguel Cabrera (2003–2023) and Jimmy Rollins (2000–2016) — both broke in during the 2000s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Miguel Cabrera finished with 3,174 hits and 511 home runs; Jimmy Rollins finished with 2,455 hits and 231 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Miguel Cabrera, with 511 to Jimmy Rollins's 231.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Miguel Cabrera, with .901 to Jimmy Rollins's .743.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Miguel Cabrera, with .306 to Jimmy Rollins's .264.
  • Who had more hits? Miguel Cabrera, with 3,174 to Jimmy Rollins's 2,455.
  • Who drove in more runs? Miguel Cabrera, with 1,881 to Jimmy Rollins's 936.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Miguel Cabrera, with 49,680 career PIV to Jimmy Rollins's 406.
  • Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Leads Miguel Cabrera 12 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Miguel Cabrera +49,274
Read the verdict ↓

Miguel Cabrera

Hitter · 2003–2023
Games
2,797
Hits
3,174
Home Runs
511
RBI
1,881
Avg
.306
OPS
.901
View Miguel Cabrera's full profile →

Jimmy Rollins

Hitter · 2000–2016
Games
2,275
Hits
2,455
Home Runs
231
RBI
936
Avg
.264
OPS
.743
View Jimmy Rollins's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Miguel Cabrera and Jimmy Rollins. 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.

Miguel Cabrera vs Jimmy Rollins: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Miguel Cabrera Jimmy Rollins
Games Leads: 2,797 2,275
At-Bats Leads: 10,356 9,294
Runs Leads: 1,551 1,421
Hits Leads: 3,174 2,455
Doubles Leads: 627 511
Triples 17 Leads: 115
Home Runs Leads: 511 231
RBI Leads: 1,881 936
Walks Leads: 1,258 813
Strikeouts not scored 2,105 1,264
Stolen Bases 40 Leads: 470
Batting Avg Leads: .306 .264
On-Base % Leads: .382 .324
Slugging % Leads: .518 .418
OPS Leads: .901 .743

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Miguel Cabrera outpaces Jimmy Rollins 49,680 to 406 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,366 PIV per season to 24, across 21 seasons to 17. 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.

Miguel Cabrera
49,680
Career PIV · 2,366 per season (21 seasons)
Jimmy Rollins
406
Career PIV · 24 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Miguel Cabrera — top 3 seasons by OPS

20131.078 OPS44 HR, 137 RBI, .348 avg
20101.042 OPS38 HR, 126 RBI, .328 avg
20111.033 OPS30 HR, 105 RBI, .344 avg

Jimmy Rollins — top 3 seasons by OPS

2007.875 OPS30 HR, 94 RBI, .296 avg
2006.811 OPS25 HR, 83 RBI, .277 avg
2004.803 OPS14 HR, 73 RBI, .289 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

How the Miguel Cabrera and Jimmy Rollins careers compare

From 2003 through 2016, Miguel Cabrera and Jimmy Rollins were in the majors together. The two careers are close in length, 2,797 games for Miguel Cabrera and 2,275 for Jimmy Rollins across 21 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Jimmy Rollins comes out ahead, it is in triples (115 to 17) and stolen bases (470 to 40). At the plate, Miguel Cabrera struck out more than walked (2,105 to 1,258), and Jimmy Rollins struck out more than walked (1,264 to 813). Home runs make up a larger share of Miguel Cabrera's hits: 511 of 3,174 for Miguel Cabrera, 231 of 2,455 for Jimmy Rollins.

Miguel Cabrera vs Jimmy Rollins: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Miguel Cabrera or Jimmy Rollins?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Miguel Cabrera leads Jimmy Rollins in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Miguel Cabrera or Jimmy Rollins hit more home runs?
Miguel Cabrera, with 511 to Jimmy Rollins's 231.
Who had the higher OPS?
Miguel Cabrera, with .901 to Jimmy Rollins's .743.
Who had the higher batting average?
Miguel Cabrera, with .306 to Jimmy Rollins's .264.
Who had more hits?
Miguel Cabrera, with 3,174 to Jimmy Rollins's 2,455.

See These Players in Another Era