Chili Davis vs Tim Salmon: Career Stats Comparison

Chili Davis (1981–1999) and Tim Salmon (1992–2006) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Chili Davis finished with 2,380 hits and 350 home runs; Tim Salmon finished with 1,674 hits and 299 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a 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 →

Tim Salmon

Hitter · 1992–2006
Games
1,672
Hits
1,674
Home Runs
299
RBI
1,016
Avg
.282
OPS
.884
View Tim Salmon's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Chili Davis and Tim Salmon. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Chili Davis Tim Salmon
Games 2,436 1,672
At-Bats 8,673 5,934
Runs 1,240 986
Hits 2,380 1,674
Doubles 424 339
Triples 30 24
Home Runs 350 299
RBI 1,372 1,016
Walks 1,194 970
Strikeouts 1,698 1,360
Stolen Bases 142 48
Batting Avg .274 .282
On-Base % .360 .385
Slugging % .451 .498
OPS .811 .884

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tim Salmon edges Chili Davis 22,790 to 21,833 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,628 vs 1,149 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Chili Davis
21,833
Career PIV · 1,149 per season (19 seasons)
Tim Salmon
22,790
Career PIV · 1,628 per season (14 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

Tim Salmon — top 3 seasons by OPS

19951.024 OPS34 HR, 105 RBI, .330 avg
2000.945 OPS34 HR, 97 RBI, .290 avg
1998.943 OPS26 HR, 88 RBI, .300 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Chili Davis leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Tim Salmon owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Chili Davis. Note that PIV actually grades Tim Salmon ahead, which means Chili Davis's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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