Josh Donaldson vs Joey Votto: Career Stats Comparison
Joey Votto 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; Joey Votto played 2007–2023 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 Joey Votto (2007–2023) — 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; Joey Votto finished with 2,135 hits and 356 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Joey Votto, with 356 to Josh Donaldson's 279.
- Who had the higher OPS? Joey Votto, with .920 to Josh Donaldson's .847.
- Who had the higher batting average? Joey Votto, with .294 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits? Joey Votto, with 2,135 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.
- Who drove in more runs? Joey Votto, with 1,144 to Josh Donaldson's 816.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Joey Votto, with 43,852 career PIV to Josh Donaldson's 18,424.
Josh Donaldson
Joey Votto
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Josh Donaldson and Joey Votto. 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 | Joey Votto |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,384 | Leads: 2,056 |
| At-Bats | 5,022 | Leads: 7,252 |
| Runs | 816 | Leads: 1,171 |
| Hits | 1,310 | Leads: 2,135 |
| Doubles | 287 | Leads: 459 |
| Triples | 12 | Leads: 22 |
| Home Runs | 279 | Leads: 356 |
| RBI | 816 | Leads: 1,144 |
| Walks | 725 | Leads: 1,365 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,221 | 1,640 |
| Stolen Bases | 40 | Leads: 80 |
| Batting Avg | .261 | Leads: .294 |
| On-Base % | .358 | Leads: .409 |
| Slugging % | .489 | Leads: .511 |
| OPS | .847 | Leads: .920 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Joey Votto outpaces Josh Donaldson 43,852 to 18,424 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,580 PIV per season to 1,228, across 17 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
Joey Votto — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Joey Votto 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 Joey Votto. PIV agrees: Joey Votto 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 Joey Votto careers compare
Josh Donaldson and Joey Votto were active at the same time between 2010 and 2023. The two careers are close in length, 1,384 games for Josh Donaldson and 2,056 for Joey Votto across 15 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Joey Votto leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Josh Donaldson struck out more than walked (1,221 to 725), and Joey Votto struck out more than walked (1,640 to 1,365). In slugging percentage, Joey Votto holds the edge, .511 to .489.
Josh Donaldson vs Joey Votto: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Josh Donaldson or Joey Votto?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Joey Votto leads Josh Donaldson in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Josh Donaldson or Joey Votto hit more home runs?
- Joey Votto, with 356 to Josh Donaldson's 279.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Joey Votto, with .920 to Josh Donaldson's .847.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Joey Votto, with .294 to Josh Donaldson's .261.
- Who had more hits?
- Joey Votto, with 2,135 to Josh Donaldson's 1,310.