Orlando Cepeda vs Nate Colbert: Career Stats Comparison

Orlando Cepeda has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Orlando Cepeda played 1958–1974 as a hitter; Nate Colbert played 1966–1976 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

Orlando Cepeda (1958–1974) and Nate Colbert (1966–1976) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Orlando Cepeda finished with 2,351 hits and 379 home runs; Nate Colbert finished with 833 hits and 173 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Orlando Cepeda, with 379 to Nate Colbert's 173.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Orlando Cepeda, with .849 to Nate Colbert's .772.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Orlando Cepeda, with .297 to Nate Colbert's .243.
  • Who had more hits? Orlando Cepeda, with 2,351 to Nate Colbert's 833.
  • Who drove in more runs? Orlando Cepeda, with 1,365 to Nate Colbert's 520.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Orlando Cepeda, with 32,785 career PIV to Nate Colbert's 7,833.
  • Who won more championships? Orlando Cepeda, with 2 World Series titles to Nate Colbert's 0.
Leads Orlando Cepeda 14 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Orlando Cepeda +24,952
Read the verdict ↓

Orlando Cepeda

Hitter · 1958–1974
Games
2,124
Hits
2,351
Home Runs
379
RBI
1,365
Avg
.297
OPS
.849
View Orlando Cepeda's full profile →

Nate Colbert

Hitter · 1966–1976
Games
1,004
Hits
833
Home Runs
173
RBI
520
Avg
.243
OPS
.772
View Nate Colbert's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Orlando Cepeda and Nate Colbert. 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 1950s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Orlando Cepeda vs Nate Colbert: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Orlando Cepeda Nate Colbert
Games Leads: 2,124 1,004
At-Bats Leads: 7,927 3,422
Runs Leads: 1,131 481
Hits Leads: 2,351 833
Doubles Leads: 417 141
Triples Leads: 27 25
Home Runs Leads: 379 173
RBI Leads: 1,365 520
Walks Leads: 588 383
Strikeouts not scored 1,169 902
Stolen Bases Leads: 142 52
Batting Avg Leads: .297 .243
On-Base % Leads: .350 .322
Slugging % Leads: .499 .451
OPS Leads: .849 .772

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Orlando Cepeda outpaces Nate Colbert 32,785 to 7,833 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,726 PIV per season to 653, across 19 seasons to 12. 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.

Orlando Cepeda
32,785
Career PIV · 1,726 per season (19 seasons)
Nate Colbert
7,833
Career PIV · 653 per season (12 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Orlando Cepeda — top 3 seasons by OPS

1961.970 OPS46 HR, 142 RBI, .311 avg
1963.929 OPS34 HR, 97 RBI, .316 avg
1967.923 OPS25 HR, 111 RBI, .325 avg

Nate Colbert — top 3 seasons by OPS

1972.841 OPS38 HR, 111 RBI, .250 avg
1970.836 OPS38 HR, 86 RBI, .259 avg
1969.804 OPS24 HR, 66 RBI, .255 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Orlando Cepeda leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Nate Colbert owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Orlando Cepeda. PIV agrees: Orlando Cepeda grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Orlando Cepeda and Nate Colbert careers compare

The careers of Orlando Cepeda (1958–1974) and Nate Colbert (1966–1976) overlapped from 1966 to 1974, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Orlando Cepeda has the far longer record, 2,124 games against 1,004 across 19 and 12 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Every scored category on the table goes to Orlando Cepeda. Orlando Cepeda struck out more than walked (1,169 to 588); Nate Colbert struck out more than walked (902 to 383). On the bases, Orlando Cepeda stole more often per game played (142 steals in 2,124 games for Orlando Cepeda, 52 in 1,004 for Nate Colbert). Orlando Cepeda's slugging percentage of .499 tops Nate Colbert's .451.

Orlando Cepeda vs Nate Colbert: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Orlando Cepeda or Nate Colbert?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Orlando Cepeda leads Nate Colbert in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Orlando Cepeda or Nate Colbert hit more home runs?
Orlando Cepeda, with 379 to Nate Colbert's 173.
Who had the higher OPS?
Orlando Cepeda, with .849 to Nate Colbert's .772.
Who had the higher batting average?
Orlando Cepeda, with .297 to Nate Colbert's .243.
Who had more hits?
Orlando Cepeda, with 2,351 to Nate Colbert's 833.