Gary Carter vs Gene Tenace: Career Stats Comparison

Gary Carter (1974–1992) and Gene Tenace (1969–1983) — 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; Gene Tenace finished with 1,060 hits and 201 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 →

Gene Tenace

Hitter · 1969–1983
Games
1,555
Hits
1,060
Home Runs
201
RBI
674
Avg
.241
OPS
.817
View Gene Tenace's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Gary Carter Gene Tenace
Games 2,296 1,555
At-Bats 7,971 4,390
Runs 1,025 653
Hits 2,092 1,060
Doubles 371 179
Triples 31 20
Home Runs 324 201
RBI 1,225 674
Walks 848 984
Strikeouts 997 998
Stolen Bases 39 36
Batting Avg .262 .241
On-Base % .335 .388
Slugging % .439 .429
OPS .773 .817

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Gene Tenace leads Gary Carter 18,534 to 14,141 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,236 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)
Gene Tenace
18,534
Career PIV · 1,236 per season (15 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

Gene Tenace — top 3 seasons by OPS

1975.859 OPS29 HR, 87 RBI, .255 avg
1979.848 OPS20 HR, 67 RBI, .263 avg
1976.831 OPS22 HR, 66 RBI, .249 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Gary Carter leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Gene Tenace owns OBP and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Gary Carter. Note that PIV actually grades Gene Tenace ahead, which means Gary Carter's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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