Steve Carlton vs Pete Rose: Career Stats Comparison
Steve Carlton (1965–1988) and Pete Rose (1963–1986) — both broke in during the 1960s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Steve Carlton finished with 346 hits and 13 home runs; Pete Rose finished with 4,256 hits and 160 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Steve Carlton
Pete Rose
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Steve Carlton and Pete Rose. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Steve Carlton | Pete Rose |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 745 | 3,562 |
| At-Bats | 1,719 | 14,053 |
| Runs | 123 | 2,165 |
| Hits | 346 | 4,256 |
| Doubles | 49 | 746 |
| Triples | 6 | 135 |
| Home Runs | 13 | 160 |
| RBI | 140 | 1,314 |
| Walks | 41 | 1,566 |
| Strikeouts | 413 | 1,143 |
| Stolen Bases | 2 | 198 |
| Batting Avg | .201 | .303 |
| On-Base % | .223 | .375 |
| Slugging % | .259 | .409 |
| OPS | .482 | .784 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Pete Rose outpaces Steve Carlton 40,772 to -8,032 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,631 vs -297 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).
Steve Carlton — top 0 seasons by OPS
Pete Rose — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Pete Rose leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Steve Carlton owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Pete Rose. PIV agrees: Pete Rose grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.