Roberto Clemente vs Frank Howard: Career Stats Comparison
Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Frank Howard (1958–1973) — 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; Frank Howard finished with 1,774 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Roberto Clemente
Frank Howard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roberto Clemente and Frank Howard. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Roberto Clemente | Frank Howard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,433 | 1,895 |
| At-Bats | 9,454 | 6,488 |
| Runs | 1,416 | 864 |
| Hits | 3,000 | 1,774 |
| Doubles | 440 | 245 |
| Triples | 166 | 35 |
| Home Runs | 240 | 382 |
| RBI | 1,305 | 1,119 |
| Walks | 621 | 782 |
| Strikeouts | 1,230 | 1,460 |
| Stolen Bases | 83 | 8 |
| Batting Avg | .317 | .273 |
| On-Base % | .359 | .352 |
| Slugging % | .475 | .499 |
| OPS | .834 | .851 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Roberto Clemente leads Frank Howard 34,131 to 30,024 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,896 vs 1,766 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
Frank Howard — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Roberto Clemente leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Frank Howard 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.