Andre Dawson vs Kirby Puckett: Career Stats Comparison

Andre Dawson (1976–1996) and Kirby Puckett (1984–1995) — 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; Kirby Puckett finished with 2,304 hits and 207 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a 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 →

Kirby Puckett

Hitter · 1984–1995
Games
1,783
Hits
2,304
Home Runs
207
RBI
1,085
Avg
.318
OPS
.837
View Kirby Puckett's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Andre Dawson and Kirby Puckett. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Andre Dawson Kirby Puckett
Games 2,627 1,783
At-Bats 9,927 7,244
Runs 1,373 1,071
Hits 2,774 2,304
Doubles 503 414
Triples 98 57
Home Runs 438 207
RBI 1,591 1,085
Walks 589 450
Strikeouts 1,509 965
Stolen Bases 314 134
Batting Avg .279 .318
On-Base % .323 .360
Slugging % .482 .477
OPS .806 .837

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Kirby Puckett edges Andre Dawson 22,719 to 20,948 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,893 vs 998 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Andre Dawson
20,948
Career PIV · 998 per season (21 seasons)
Kirby Puckett
22,719
Career PIV · 1,893 per season (12 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

Kirby Puckett — top 3 seasons by OPS

1988.920 OPS24 HR, 121 RBI, .356 avg
1986.903 OPS31 HR, 96 RBI, .328 avg
1994.902 OPS20 HR, 112 RBI, .317 avg

Verdict

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

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