Josh Donaldson vs Mike Schmidt: Career Stats Comparison
Mike Schmidt 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; Mike Schmidt played 1972–1989 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 Mike Schmidt (1972–1989) — they broke in during the 2010s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Josh Donaldson finished with 1,310 hits and 279 home runs; Mike Schmidt finished with 2,234 hits and 548 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Mike Schmidt, with 548 to Josh Donaldson's 279.
- Who had the higher OPS? Mike Schmidt, with .908 to Josh Donaldson's .847.
- Who had the higher batting average? Mike Schmidt, with .267 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits? Mike Schmidt, with 2,234 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.
- Who drove in more runs? Mike Schmidt, with 1,595 to Josh Donaldson's 816.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Mike Schmidt, with 49,630 career PIV to Josh Donaldson's 18,424.
- Who won more championships? Mike Schmidt, with 1 World Series title to Josh Donaldson's 0.
Josh Donaldson
Mike Schmidt
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Donaldson and Mike Schmidt. 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 1970s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Josh Donaldson | Mike Schmidt |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,384 | Leads: 2,404 |
| At-Bats | 5,022 | Leads: 8,352 |
| Runs | 816 | Leads: 1,506 |
| Hits | 1,310 | Leads: 2,234 |
| Doubles | 287 | Leads: 408 |
| Triples | 12 | Leads: 59 |
| Home Runs | 279 | Leads: 548 |
| RBI | 816 | Leads: 1,595 |
| Walks | 725 | Leads: 1,507 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,221 | 1,883 |
| Stolen Bases | 40 | Leads: 174 |
| Batting Avg | .261 | Leads: .267 |
| On-Base % | .358 | Leads: .380 |
| Slugging % | .489 | Leads: .527 |
| OPS | .847 | Leads: .908 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mike Schmidt outpaces Josh Donaldson 49,630 to 18,424 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,757 PIV per season to 1,228, across 18 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
Mike Schmidt — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Mike Schmidt 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 Mike Schmidt. PIV agrees: Mike Schmidt 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 Mike Schmidt careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Mike Schmidt's ended in 1989, and Josh Donaldson debuted in 2010. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Josh Donaldson appeared in 1,384 games to Mike Schmidt's 2,404. Every scored category on the table goes to Mike Schmidt. At the plate, Josh Donaldson struck out more than walked (1,221 to 725), and Mike Schmidt struck out more than walked (1,883 to 1,507). Mike Schmidt was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In on-base percentage, Mike Schmidt holds the edge, .380 to .358.
Josh Donaldson vs Mike Schmidt: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Donaldson or Mike Schmidt?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Mike Schmidt leads Josh Donaldson in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Donaldson or Mike Schmidt hit more home runs?
- Mike Schmidt, with 548 to Josh Donaldson's 279.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Mike Schmidt, with .908 to Josh Donaldson's .847.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Mike Schmidt, with .267 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits?
- Mike Schmidt, with 2,234 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.