Andre Dawson vs Ken Griffey: Career Stats Comparison

Ken Griffey has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Andre Dawson played 1976–1996 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

Andre Dawson (1976–1996) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Andre Dawson finished with 2,774 hits and 438 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 Andre Dawson's 438.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Andre Dawson's .806.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Ken Griffey, with .284 to Andre Dawson's .279.
  • Who had more hits? Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Andre Dawson's 2,774.
  • Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Andre Dawson's 1,591.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Andre Dawson's 20,948.
Leads Ken Griffey 11 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Ken Griffey +23,027
Read the verdict ↓

Andre Dawson

Hitter · 1976–1996
Games
2,627
Hits
2,774
Home Runs
438
RBI
1,591
Avg
.279
OPS
.806
View Andre Dawson'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 Andre Dawson 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, and the 1970s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Andre Dawson vs Ken Griffey: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Andre Dawson Ken Griffey
Games 2,627 Leads: 2,671
At-Bats Leads: 9,927 9,801
Runs 1,373 Leads: 1,662
Hits 2,774 Leads: 2,781
Doubles 503 Leads: 524
Triples Leads: 98 38
Home Runs 438 Leads: 630
RBI 1,591 Leads: 1,836
Walks 589 Leads: 1,312
Strikeouts not scored 1,509 1,779
Stolen Bases Leads: 314 184
Batting Avg .279 Leads: .284
On-Base % .323 Leads: .370
Slugging % .482 Leads: .538
OPS .806 Leads: .907

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Andre Dawson 43,975 to 20,948 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,912 PIV per season to 998, across 23 seasons to 21. 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.

Andre Dawson
20,948
Career PIV · 998 per season (21 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).

Andre Dawson — top 3 seasons by OPS

1981.918 OPS24 HR, 64 RBI, .302 avg
1987.896 OPS49 HR, 137 RBI, .287 avg
1990.893 OPS27 HR, 100 RBI, .310 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 Andre Dawson owns stolen bases. 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 Andre Dawson and Ken Griffey careers compare

The careers of Andre Dawson (1976–1996) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) overlapped from 1989 to 1996, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,627 games for Andre Dawson and 2,671 for Ken Griffey across 21 and 23 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Andre Dawson's edges on the table are at-bats (9,927 to 9,801), triples (98 to 38), and stolen bases (314 to 184). At the plate, Andre Dawson struck out more than walked (1,509 to 589), and Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312).

Andre Dawson vs Ken Griffey: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Andre Dawson or Ken Griffey?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Andre Dawson in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Andre Dawson or Ken Griffey hit more home runs?
Ken Griffey, with 630 to Andre Dawson's 438.
Who had the higher OPS?
Ken Griffey, with .907 to Andre Dawson's .806.
Who had the higher batting average?
Ken Griffey, with .284 to Andre Dawson's .279.
Who had more hits?
Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Andre Dawson's 2,774.

See These Players in Another Era