Rocky Colavito vs Frank Robinson: Career Stats Comparison

Rocky Colavito (1955–1968) and Frank Robinson (1956–1976) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Rocky Colavito finished with 1,730 hits and 374 home runs; Frank Robinson finished with 2,943 hits and 586 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Rocky Colavito

Hitter · 1955–1968
Games
1,841
Hits
1,730
Home Runs
374
RBI
1,159
Avg
.266
OPS
.848
View Rocky Colavito's full profile →

Frank Robinson

Hitter · 1956–1976
Games
2,808
Hits
2,943
Home Runs
586
RBI
1,812
Avg
.294
OPS
.926
View Frank Robinson's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rocky Colavito and Frank Robinson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Rocky Colavito Frank Robinson
Games 1,841 2,808
At-Bats 6,503 10,006
Runs 971 1,829
Hits 1,730 2,943
Doubles 283 528
Triples 21 72
Home Runs 374 586
RBI 1,159 1,812
Walks 951 1,420
Strikeouts 880 1,532
Stolen Bases 19 204
Batting Avg .266 .294
On-Base % .359 .389
Slugging % .489 .537
OPS .848 .926

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Frank Robinson outpaces Rocky Colavito 67,113 to 28,223 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,051 vs 1,764 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Rocky Colavito
28,223
Career PIV · 1,764 per season (16 seasons)
Frank Robinson
67,113
Career PIV · 3,051 per season (22 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Rocky Colavito — top 3 seasons by OPS

19581.024 OPS41 HR, 113 RBI, .303 avg
1961.982 OPS45 HR, 140 RBI, .290 avg
1956.903 OPS21 HR, 65 RBI, .276 avg

Frank Robinson — top 3 seasons by OPS

19661.047 OPS49 HR, 122 RBI, .316 avg
19621.045 OPS39 HR, 136 RBI, .342 avg
19611.015 OPS37 HR, 124 RBI, .323 avg

Verdict

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

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