Roberto Clemente vs Pete Rose: Career Stats Comparison

Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Pete Rose (1963–1986) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Roberto Clemente finished with 3,000 hits and 240 home runs; Pete Rose finished with 4,256 hits and 160 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Roberto Clemente

Hitter · 1955–1972
Games
2,433
Hits
3,000
Home Runs
240
RBI
1,305
Avg
.317
OPS
.834
View Roberto Clemente's full profile →

Pete Rose

Hitter · 1963–1986
Games
3,562
Hits
4,256
Home Runs
160
RBI
1,314
Avg
.303
OPS
.784
View Pete Rose's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roberto Clemente and Pete Rose. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Roberto Clemente Pete Rose
Games 2,433 3,562
At-Bats 9,454 14,053
Runs 1,416 2,165
Hits 3,000 4,256
Doubles 440 746
Triples 166 135
Home Runs 240 160
RBI 1,305 1,314
Walks 621 1,566
Strikeouts 1,230 1,143
Stolen Bases 83 198
Batting Avg .317 .303
On-Base % .359 .375
Slugging % .475 .409
OPS .834 .784

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Pete Rose leads Roberto Clemente 40,772 to 34,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,631 vs 1,896 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Roberto Clemente
34,131
Career PIV · 1,896 per season (18 seasons)
Pete Rose
40,772
Career PIV · 1,631 per season (25 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1970.963 OPS14 HR, 60 RBI, .352 avg
1969.955 OPS19 HR, 91 RBI, .345 avg
1967.954 OPS23 HR, 110 RBI, .357 avg

Pete Rose — top 3 seasons by OPS

1969.940 OPS16 HR, 82 RBI, .348 avg
1968.861 OPS10 HR, 49 RBI, .335 avg
1970.855 OPS15 HR, 52 RBI, .316 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Pete Rose leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Roberto Clemente owns home runs, batting average, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Pete Rose. PIV agrees: Pete Rose grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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