Josh Donaldson vs Albert Pujols: Career Stats Comparison
Albert Pujols 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). Josh Donaldson played 2010–2023 as a hitter; Albert Pujols played 2001–2022 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
Josh Donaldson (2010–2023) and Albert Pujols (2001–2022) — they broke in during the 2010s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Josh Donaldson finished with 1,310 hits and 279 home runs; Albert Pujols finished with 3,384 hits and 703 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Albert Pujols, with 703 to Josh Donaldson's 279.
- Who had the higher OPS? Albert Pujols, with .918 to Josh Donaldson's .847.
- Who had the higher batting average? Albert Pujols, with .296 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits? Albert Pujols, with 3,384 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.
- Who drove in more runs? Albert Pujols, with 2,218 to Josh Donaldson's 816.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Albert Pujols, with 58,591 career PIV to Josh Donaldson's 18,424.
- Who won more championships? Albert Pujols, with 2 World Series titles to Josh Donaldson's 0.
Josh Donaldson
Albert Pujols
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Donaldson and Albert Pujols. 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 2010s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Josh Donaldson | Albert Pujols |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,384 | Leads: 3,080 |
| At-Bats | 5,022 | Leads: 11,421 |
| Runs | 816 | Leads: 1,914 |
| Hits | 1,310 | Leads: 3,384 |
| Doubles | 287 | Leads: 686 |
| Triples | 12 | Leads: 16 |
| Home Runs | 279 | Leads: 703 |
| RBI | 816 | Leads: 2,218 |
| Walks | 725 | Leads: 1,373 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,221 | 1,404 |
| Stolen Bases | 40 | Leads: 117 |
| Batting Avg | .261 | Leads: .296 |
| On-Base % | .358 | Leads: .374 |
| Slugging % | .489 | Leads: .544 |
| OPS | .847 | Leads: .918 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Albert Pujols outpaces Josh Donaldson 58,591 to 18,424 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,547 PIV per season to 1,228, across 23 seasons to 15. 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.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Josh Donaldson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Albert Pujols — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Albert Pujols leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Josh Donaldson owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Albert Pujols. PIV agrees: Albert Pujols grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Josh Donaldson and Albert Pujols careers compare
Josh Donaldson and Albert Pujols were active at the same time between 2010 and 2022. The table compares 1,384 games of Josh Donaldson with 3,080 of Albert Pujols across 15 and 23 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Every scored category on the table goes to Albert Pujols. Josh Donaldson struck out more than walked (1,221 to 725); Albert Pujols struck out more than walked (1,404 to 1,373). Albert Pujols was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In on-base percentage, Albert Pujols holds the edge, .374 to .358.
Josh Donaldson vs Albert Pujols: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Donaldson or Albert Pujols?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Albert Pujols leads Josh Donaldson in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Donaldson or Albert Pujols hit more home runs?
- Albert Pujols, with 703 to Josh Donaldson's 279.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Albert Pujols, with .918 to Josh Donaldson's .847.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Albert Pujols, with .296 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits?
- Albert Pujols, with 3,384 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.