Francisco Cordero vs Dan Plesac: Career Stats Comparison
Dan Plesac has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Francisco Cordero played 1999–2012 as a pitcher; Dan Plesac played 1986–2003 as a pitcher.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
Francisco Cordero (1999–2012) and Dan Plesac (1986–2003) — breaking in during the 1990s and the 1980s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Francisco Cordero finished with 47 wins and 796 strikeouts; Dan Plesac finished with 65 wins and 1,041 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
Quick answer
- Who had the better ERA? Francisco Cordero, with 3.38 to Dan Plesac's 3.64.
- Who won more games? Dan Plesac, with 65 to Francisco Cordero's 47.
- Who recorded more strikeouts? Dan Plesac, with 1,041 to Francisco Cordero's 796.
- Who had the better WHIP? Dan Plesac, with 1.29 to Francisco Cordero's 1.37.
- Who pitched more innings? Dan Plesac, with 1,072.0 to Francisco Cordero's 824.2.
- Who threw more shutouts? Neither — both are at 0.
- Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Dan Plesac, with 20,030 career Pitcher PIV to Francisco Cordero's 15,835.
Francisco Cordero
Dan Plesac
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 12 of the 16 lines below are scored; the other 4 are counting totals on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded them. Totals where fewer is not an achievement -- losses, walks and hits allowed -- are left unmarked, because they track how long someone pitched rather than how well. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1990s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Francisco Cordero | Dan Plesac |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 47 | Leads: 65 |
| Losses not scored | 53 | 71 |
| Games | 800 | Leads: 1,064 |
| Games Started | 0 | Leads: 14 |
| Complete Games | 0 | 0 |
| Shutouts | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | Leads: 329 | 158 |
| Strikeouts | 796 | Leads: 1,041 |
| Walks not scored | 375 | 402 |
| Hits Allowed not scored | 751 | 977 |
| Home Runs Allowed not scored | 64 | 105 |
| Innings Pitched | 824.2 | Leads: 1,072.0 |
| ERA | Leads: 3.38 | 3.64 |
| WHIP | 1.37 | Leads: 1.29 |
| K/9 | 8.69 | Leads: 8.74 |
| BB/9 | 4.09 | Leads: 3.38 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dan Plesac leads Francisco Cordero 20,030 to 15,835 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,002 PIV per season to 990, across 20 seasons to 16. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
Francisco Cordero
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Dan Plesac
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Dan Plesac leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and K/9, while Francisco Cordero owns ERA. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Dan Plesac. PIV agrees: Dan Plesac grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Francisco Cordero and Dan Plesac careers compare
The careers of Francisco Cordero (1999–2012) and Dan Plesac (1986–2003) overlapped from 1999 to 2003, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 800 games against 1,064 across 16 and 20 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Where Francisco Cordero comes out ahead, it is in saves (329 to 158) and ERA (3.38 to 3.64). The per-nine rows read 8.69 strikeouts and 4.09 walks for Francisco Cordero, 8.74 and 3.38 for Dan Plesac. Both had the same role: Francisco Cordero worked mostly in relief (0 starts in 800 games, 329 saves); Dan Plesac worked mostly in relief (14 starts in 1,064 games, 158 saves).
Francisco Cordero vs Dan Plesac: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Francisco Cordero or Dan Plesac?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Dan Plesac leads Francisco Cordero in 8 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who had the better ERA?
- Francisco Cordero, with 3.38 to Dan Plesac's 3.64.
- Who won more games?
- Dan Plesac, with 65 to Francisco Cordero's 47.
- Who recorded more strikeouts?
- Dan Plesac, with 1,041 to Francisco Cordero's 796.
- Who had the better WHIP?
- Dan Plesac, with 1.29 to Francisco Cordero's 1.37.