Rocky Colavito vs Rusty Staub: Career Stats Comparison

Rocky Colavito (1955–1968) and Rusty Staub (1963–1985) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Rocky Colavito finished with 1,730 hits and 374 home runs; Rusty Staub finished with 2,716 hits and 292 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 →

Rusty Staub

Hitter · 1963–1985
Games
2,951
Hits
2,716
Home Runs
292
RBI
1,466
Avg
.279
OPS
.793
View Rusty Staub's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Rocky Colavito Rusty Staub
Games 1,841 2,951
At-Bats 6,503 9,720
Runs 971 1,189
Hits 1,730 2,716
Doubles 283 499
Triples 21 47
Home Runs 374 292
RBI 1,159 1,466
Walks 951 1,255
Strikeouts 880 888
Stolen Bases 19 47
Batting Avg .266 .279
On-Base % .359 .362
Slugging % .489 .431
OPS .848 .793

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rusty Staub edges Rocky Colavito 30,346 to 28,223 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,264 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)
Rusty Staub
30,346
Career PIV · 1,264 per season (24 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

Rusty Staub — top 3 seasons by OPS

1969.952 OPS29 HR, 79 RBI, .302 avg
1970.891 OPS30 HR, 94 RBI, .274 avg
1971.874 OPS19 HR, 97 RBI, .311 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Rusty Staub 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 Rusty Staub. PIV agrees: Rusty Staub grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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