Larry Doby vs Frank Howard: Career Stats Comparison
Larry Doby (1947–1959) and Frank Howard (1958–1973) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Larry Doby finished with 1,697 hits and 273 home runs; Frank Howard finished with 1,774 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Larry Doby
Frank Howard
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Larry Doby and Frank Howard. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Larry Doby | Frank Howard |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,674 | 1,895 |
| At-Bats | 5,883 | 6,488 |
| Runs | 1,080 | 864 |
| Hits | 1,697 | 1,774 |
| Doubles | 277 | 245 |
| Triples | 72 | 35 |
| Home Runs | 273 | 382 |
| RBI | 1,093 | 1,119 |
| Walks | 945 | 782 |
| Strikeouts | 1,012 | 1,460 |
| Stolen Bases | 64 | 8 |
| Batting Avg | .288 | .273 |
| On-Base % | .389 | .352 |
| Slugging % | .499 | .499 |
| OPS | .888 | .851 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Frank Howard edges Larry Doby 30,024 to 28,857 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,766 vs 1,519 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Larry Doby — top 3 seasons by OPS
Frank Howard — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Larry Doby leads in runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Frank Howard owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Larry Doby. Note that PIV actually grades Frank Howard ahead, which means Larry Doby's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.