Brian Downing vs Darryl Strawberry: Career Stats Comparison

Brian Downing (1973–1992) and Darryl Strawberry (1983–1999) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Brian Downing finished with 2,099 hits and 275 home runs; Darryl Strawberry finished with 1,401 hits and 335 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Brian Downing

Hitter · 1973–1992
Games
2,344
Hits
2,099
Home Runs
275
RBI
1,073
Avg
.267
OPS
.796
View Brian Downing's full profile →

Darryl Strawberry

Hitter · 1983–1999
Games
1,583
Hits
1,401
Home Runs
335
RBI
1,000
Avg
.259
OPS
.862
View Darryl Strawberry's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Brian Downing and Darryl Strawberry. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Brian Downing Darryl Strawberry
Games 2,344 1,583
At-Bats 7,853 5,418
Runs 1,188 898
Hits 2,099 1,401
Doubles 360 256
Triples 28 38
Home Runs 275 335
RBI 1,073 1,000
Walks 1,197 816
Strikeouts 1,127 1,352
Stolen Bases 50 221
Batting Avg .267 .259
On-Base % .370 .357
Slugging % .425 .505
OPS .796 .862

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Brian Downing edges Darryl Strawberry 22,792 to 22,150 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,140 vs 1,303 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Brian Downing
22,792
Career PIV · 1,140 per season (20 seasons)
Darryl Strawberry
22,150
Career PIV · 1,303 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Brian Downing — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.886 OPS29 HR, 77 RBI, .272 avg
1979.880 OPS12 HR, 75 RBI, .326 avg
1982.850 OPS28 HR, 84 RBI, .281 avg

Darryl Strawberry — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.981 OPS39 HR, 104 RBI, .284 avg
1985.947 OPS29 HR, 79 RBI, .277 avg
1988.911 OPS39 HR, 101 RBI, .269 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Brian Downing leads in hits, RBI, runs, and batting average, while Darryl Strawberry owns home runs, stolen bases, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Brian Downing. PIV agrees: Brian Downing grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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