Roy Campanella vs Ken Griffey: Career Stats Comparison
Ken Griffey 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). Roy Campanella played 1948–1957 as a hitter; Ken Griffey played 1989–2010 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
Roy Campanella (1948–1957) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Roy Campanella finished with 1,427 hits and 260 home runs; Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ken Griffey, with 630 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ken Griffey, with .284 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits? Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.
- Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Roy Campanella's 1,015.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Roy Campanella's 19,598.
- Who won more championships? Roy Campanella, with 1 World Series title to Ken Griffey's 0.
Roy Campanella
Ken Griffey
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roy Campanella and Ken Griffey. 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, and the 1940s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Roy Campanella | Ken Griffey |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | Leads: 2,671 |
| At-Bats | 5,050 | Leads: 9,801 |
| Runs | 787 | Leads: 1,662 |
| Hits | 1,427 | Leads: 2,781 |
| Doubles | 235 | Leads: 524 |
| Triples | 32 | Leads: 38 |
| Home Runs | 260 | Leads: 630 |
| RBI | 1,015 | Leads: 1,836 |
| Walks | 608 | Leads: 1,312 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 514 | 1,779 |
| Stolen Bases | 39 | Leads: 184 |
| Batting Avg | .283 | Leads: .284 |
| On-Base % | .363 | Leads: .370 |
| Slugging % | .496 | Leads: .538 |
| OPS | .859 | Leads: .907 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Roy Campanella 43,975 to 19,598 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,912 PIV per season to 1,031, across 23 seasons to 19. 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).
Roy Campanella — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ken Griffey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Roy Campanella owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ken Griffey. PIV agrees: Ken Griffey grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Roy Campanella and Ken Griffey careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Roy Campanella's ended in 1957, and Ken Griffey debuted in 1989. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Roy Campanella appeared in 1,455 games to Ken Griffey's 2,671. Every scored category on the table goes to Ken Griffey. At the plate, Roy Campanella walked more often than struck out (608 walks, 514 strikeouts), while Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312). Ken Griffey was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Ken Griffey's on-base percentage of .370 tops Roy Campanella's .363.
Roy Campanella vs Ken Griffey: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Roy Campanella or Ken Griffey?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Roy Campanella in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Roy Campanella or Ken Griffey hit more home runs?
- Ken Griffey, with 630 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ken Griffey, with .907 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ken Griffey, with .284 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits?
- Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.