Rico Carty vs Frank Howard: Career Stats Comparison
Frank Howard has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Rico Carty played 1963–1979 as a hitter; Frank Howard played 1958–1973 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Rico Carty (1963–1979) and Frank Howard (1958–1973) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Rico Carty finished with 1,677 hits and 204 home runs; Frank Howard finished with 1,774 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Frank Howard, with 382 to Rico Carty's 204.
- Who had the higher OPS? Frank Howard, with .851 to Rico Carty's .833.
- Who had the higher batting average? Rico Carty, with .299 to Frank Howard's .273.
- Who had more hits? Frank Howard, with 1,774 to Rico Carty's 1,677.
- Who drove in more runs? Frank Howard, with 1,119 to Rico Carty's 890.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Frank Howard, with 30,024 career PIV to Rico Carty's 21,612.
- Who won more championships? Frank Howard, with 2 World Series titles to Rico Carty's 1.
Rico Carty
Frank Howard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rico Carty and Frank Howard. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Rico Carty | Frank Howard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,651 | Leads: 1,895 |
| At-Bats | 5,606 | Leads: 6,488 |
| Runs | 712 | Leads: 864 |
| Hits | 1,677 | Leads: 1,774 |
| Doubles | Leads: 278 | 245 |
| Triples | 17 | Leads: 35 |
| Home Runs | 204 | Leads: 382 |
| RBI | 890 | Leads: 1,119 |
| Walks | 642 | Leads: 782 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 663 | 1,460 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 21 | 8 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .299 | .273 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .369 | .352 |
| Slugging % | .464 | Leads: .499 |
| OPS | .833 | Leads: .851 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Frank Howard outpaces Rico Carty 30,024 to 21,612 — driven by per-season impact — 1,766 PIV per season to 1,201 — rather than by longevity, since Frank Howard played 17 seasons to Rico Carty's 18. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Rico Carty — top 3 seasons by OPS
Frank Howard — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Frank Howard leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Rico Carty owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Frank Howard. PIV agrees: Frank Howard grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Rico Carty and Frank Howard careers compare
The careers of Rico Carty (1963–1979) and Frank Howard (1958–1973) overlapped from 1963 to 1973, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,651 games for Rico Carty and 1,895 for Frank Howard across 18 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Rico Carty are doubles (278 to 245), stolen bases (21 to 8), and batting average (.299 to .273). At the plate, Rico Carty struck out more than walked (663 to 642), and Frank Howard struck out more than walked (1,460 to 782).
Rico Carty vs Frank Howard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Rico Carty or Frank Howard?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Frank Howard leads Rico Carty in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Rico Carty or Frank Howard hit more home runs?
- Frank Howard, with 382 to Rico Carty's 204.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Frank Howard, with .851 to Rico Carty's .833.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Rico Carty, with .299 to Frank Howard's .273.
- Who had more hits?
- Frank Howard, with 1,774 to Rico Carty's 1,677.