Roberto Clemente vs Rocky Colavito: Career Stats Comparison
Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Rocky Colavito (1955–1968) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Roberto Clemente finished with 3,000 hits and 240 home runs; Rocky Colavito finished with 1,730 hits and 374 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Roberto Clemente
Rocky Colavito
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roberto Clemente and Rocky Colavito. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Roberto Clemente | Rocky Colavito |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,433 | 1,841 |
| At-Bats | 9,454 | 6,503 |
| Runs | 1,416 | 971 |
| Hits | 3,000 | 1,730 |
| Doubles | 440 | 283 |
| Triples | 166 | 21 |
| Home Runs | 240 | 374 |
| RBI | 1,305 | 1,159 |
| Walks | 621 | 951 |
| Strikeouts | 1,230 | 880 |
| Stolen Bases | 83 | 19 |
| Batting Avg | .317 | .266 |
| On-Base % | .359 | .359 |
| Slugging % | .475 | .489 |
| OPS | .834 | .848 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Roberto Clemente leads Rocky Colavito 34,131 to 28,223 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,896 vs 1,764 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Roberto Clemente — top 3 seasons by OPS
Rocky Colavito — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Roberto Clemente leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Rocky Colavito owns home runs and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Roberto Clemente. PIV agrees: Roberto Clemente grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.