Chili Davis vs Ken Griffey: Career Stats Comparison

Ken Griffey has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Chili Davis played 1981–1999 as a hitter; Ken Griffey played 1989–2010 as a hitter.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

Chili Davis (1981–1999) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Chili Davis finished with 2,380 hits and 350 home runs; Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Ken Griffey, with 630 to Chili Davis's 350.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Chili Davis's .811.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Ken Griffey, with .284 to Chili Davis's .274.
  • Who had more hits? Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Chili Davis's 2,380.
  • Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Chili Davis's 1,372.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Chili Davis's 21,833.
  • Who won more championships? Chili Davis, with 3 World Series titles to Ken Griffey's 0.
Leads Ken Griffey 14 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Ken Griffey +22,142
Read the verdict ↓

Chili Davis

Hitter · 1981–1999
Games
2,436
Hits
2,380
Home Runs
350
RBI
1,372
Avg
.274
OPS
.811
View Chili Davis's full profile →

Ken Griffey

Hitter · 1989–2010
Games
2,671
Hits
2,781
Home Runs
630
RBI
1,836
Avg
.284
OPS
.907
View Ken Griffey's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Chili Davis and Ken Griffey. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Chili Davis vs Ken Griffey: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Chili Davis Ken Griffey
Games 2,436 Leads: 2,671
At-Bats 8,673 Leads: 9,801
Runs 1,240 Leads: 1,662
Hits 2,380 Leads: 2,781
Doubles 424 Leads: 524
Triples 30 Leads: 38
Home Runs 350 Leads: 630
RBI 1,372 Leads: 1,836
Walks 1,194 Leads: 1,312
Strikeouts not scored 1,698 1,779
Stolen Bases 142 Leads: 184
Batting Avg .274 Leads: .284
On-Base % .360 Leads: .370
Slugging % .451 Leads: .538
OPS .811 Leads: .907

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Chili Davis 43,975 to 21,833 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,912 PIV per season to 1,149, across 23 seasons to 19. 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.

Chili Davis
21,833
Career PIV · 1,149 per season (19 seasons)
Ken Griffey
43,975
Career PIV · 1,912 per season (23 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Chili Davis — top 3 seasons by OPS

1994.971 OPS26 HR, 84 RBI, .311 avg
1995.943 OPS20 HR, 86 RBI, .318 avg
1997.896 OPS30 HR, 90 RBI, .279 avg

Ken Griffey — top 3 seasons by OPS

19941.076 OPS40 HR, 90 RBI, .323 avg
19971.028 OPS56 HR, 147 RBI, .304 avg
19931.025 OPS45 HR, 109 RBI, .309 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

How the Chili Davis and Ken Griffey careers compare

The careers of Chili Davis (1981–1999) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) overlapped from 1989 to 1999, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,436 games against 2,671 across 19 and 23 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Ken Griffey leads every scored row of the table. Chili Davis struck out more than walked (1,698 to 1,194); Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312). Home runs make up a larger share of Ken Griffey's hits: 350 of 2,380 for Chili Davis, 630 of 2,781 for Ken Griffey. Ken Griffey was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played.

Chili Davis vs Ken Griffey: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Chili Davis or Ken Griffey?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Chili Davis in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Chili Davis or Ken Griffey hit more home runs?
Ken Griffey, with 630 to Chili Davis's 350.
Who had the higher OPS?
Ken Griffey, with .907 to Chili Davis's .811.
Who had the higher batting average?
Ken Griffey, with .284 to Chili Davis's .274.
Who had more hits?
Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Chili Davis's 2,380.

See These Players in Another Era