Gary Carter vs Ted Simmons: Career Stats Comparison

Gary Carter (1974–1992) and Ted Simmons (1968–1988) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Gary Carter finished with 2,092 hits and 324 home runs; Ted Simmons finished with 2,472 hits and 248 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 →

Ted Simmons

Hitter · 1968–1988
Games
2,456
Hits
2,472
Home Runs
248
RBI
1,389
Avg
.285
OPS
.785
View Ted Simmons's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Gary Carter Ted Simmons
Games 2,296 2,456
At-Bats 7,971 8,680
Runs 1,025 1,074
Hits 2,092 2,472
Doubles 371 483
Triples 31 47
Home Runs 324 248
RBI 1,225 1,389
Walks 848 855
Strikeouts 997 694
Stolen Bases 39 21
Batting Avg .262 .285
On-Base % .335 .348
Slugging % .439 .437
OPS .773 .785

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Simmons outpaces Gary Carter 20,131 to 14,141 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (959 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)
Ted Simmons
20,131
Career PIV · 959 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

Ted Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS

1977.908 OPS21 HR, 95 RBI, .318 avg
1978.889 OPS22 HR, 80 RBI, .287 avg
1975.887 OPS18 HR, 100 RBI, .332 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups