Miguel Cabrera vs Joey Votto: Career Stats Comparison

Miguel Cabrera (2003–present) and Joey Votto (2007–2023) — 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; Joey Votto finished with 2,135 hits and 356 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Miguel Cabrera

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

Joey Votto

Hitter · 2007–2023
Games
2,056
Hits
2,135
Home Runs
356
RBI
1,144
Avg
.294
OPS
.920
View Joey Votto's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Miguel Cabrera Joey Votto
Games 2,797 2,056
At-Bats 10,356 7,252
Runs 1,551 1,171
Hits 3,174 2,135
Doubles 627 459
Triples 17 22
Home Runs 511 356
RBI 1,881 1,144
Walks 1,258 1,365
Strikeouts 2,105 1,640
Stolen Bases 40 80
Batting Avg .306 .294
On-Base % .382 .409
Slugging % .518 .511
OPS .901 .920

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Miguel Cabrera leads Joey Votto 49,680 to 43,852 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,366 vs 2,580 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Miguel Cabrera
49,680
Career PIV · 2,366 per season (21 seasons)
Joey Votto
43,852
Career PIV · 2,580 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

Joey Votto — top 3 seasons by OPS

20121.041 OPS14 HR, 56 RBI, .337 avg
20171.032 OPS36 HR, 100 RBI, .320 avg
20101.024 OPS37 HR, 113 RBI, .324 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Miguel Cabrera leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Joey Votto owns stolen bases, OBP, and OPS. 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.

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