David Cone vs Paul O'Neill: Career Stats Comparison
David Cone (1986–2003) and Paul O'Neill (1985–2001) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. David Cone finished with 64 hits and 0 home runs; Paul O'Neill finished with 2,105 hits and 281 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Paul O'Neill
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for David Cone and Paul O'Neill. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | David Cone | Paul O'Neill |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 451 | 2,053 |
| At-Bats | 412 | 7,318 |
| Runs | 28 | 1,041 |
| Hits | 64 | 2,105 |
| Doubles | 9 | 451 |
| Triples | 0 | 21 |
| Home Runs | 0 | 281 |
| RBI | 22 | 1,269 |
| Walks | 16 | 892 |
| Strikeouts | 91 | 1,166 |
| Stolen Bases | 0 | 141 |
| Batting Avg | .155 | .288 |
| On-Base % | .192 | .363 |
| Slugging % | .177 | .470 |
| OPS | .369 | .833 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul O'Neill outpaces David Cone 18,817 to -2,558 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,107 vs -135 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).
David Cone — top 0 seasons by OPS
Paul O'Neill — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Paul O'Neill leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while David Cone owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Paul O'Neill. PIV agrees: Paul O'Neill grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.