Jose Canseco vs Brian Downing: Career Stats Comparison
Jose Canseco (1985–2001) and Brian Downing (1973–1992) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jose Canseco finished with 1,877 hits and 462 home runs; Brian Downing finished with 2,099 hits and 275 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Jose Canseco
Brian Downing
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jose Canseco and Brian Downing. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Jose Canseco | Brian Downing |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,887 | 2,344 |
| At-Bats | 7,057 | 7,853 |
| Runs | 1,186 | 1,188 |
| Hits | 1,877 | 2,099 |
| Doubles | 340 | 360 |
| Triples | 14 | 28 |
| Home Runs | 462 | 275 |
| RBI | 1,407 | 1,073 |
| Walks | 906 | 1,197 |
| Strikeouts | 1,942 | 1,127 |
| Stolen Bases | 200 | 50 |
| Batting Avg | .266 | .267 |
| On-Base % | .353 | .370 |
| Slugging % | .515 | .425 |
| OPS | .867 | .796 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jose Canseco edges Brian Downing 24,754 to 22,792 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,303 vs 1,140 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Jose Canseco — top 3 seasons by OPS
Brian Downing — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jose Canseco leads in home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and OPS, while Brian Downing owns hits, runs, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jose Canseco. PIV agrees: Jose Canseco grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.