Gary Carter vs Andre Dawson: Career Stats Comparison

Gary Carter (1974–1992) and Andre Dawson (1976–1996) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Gary Carter finished with 2,092 hits and 324 home runs; Andre Dawson finished with 2,774 hits and 438 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Gary Carter

Hitter · 1974–1992
Games
2,296
Hits
2,092
Home Runs
324
RBI
1,225
Avg
.262
OPS
.773
View Gary Carter's full profile →

Andre Dawson

Hitter · 1976–1996
Games
2,627
Hits
2,774
Home Runs
438
RBI
1,591
Avg
.279
OPS
.806
View Andre Dawson's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Gary Carter and Andre Dawson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Gary Carter Andre Dawson
Games 2,296 2,627
At-Bats 7,971 9,927
Runs 1,025 1,373
Hits 2,092 2,774
Doubles 371 503
Triples 31 98
Home Runs 324 438
RBI 1,225 1,591
Walks 848 589
Strikeouts 997 1,509
Stolen Bases 39 314
Batting Avg .262 .279
On-Base % .335 .323
Slugging % .439 .482
OPS .773 .806

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Andre Dawson outpaces Gary Carter 20,948 to 14,141 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (998 vs 744 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Gary Carter
14,141
Career PIV · 744 per season (19 seasons)
Andre Dawson
20,948
Career PIV · 998 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Gary Carter — top 3 seasons by OPS

1982.890 OPS29 HR, 97 RBI, .293 avg
1977.881 OPS31 HR, 84 RBI, .284 avg
1985.853 OPS32 HR, 100 RBI, .281 avg

Andre Dawson — top 3 seasons by OPS

1981.918 OPS24 HR, 64 RBI, .302 avg
1987.896 OPS49 HR, 137 RBI, .287 avg
1990.893 OPS27 HR, 100 RBI, .310 avg

Verdict

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

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