Don Drysdale vs Frank Howard: Career Stats Comparison
Don Drysdale and Frank Howard played different roles, so their careers are compared side by side rather than scored against each other. Don Drysdale played 1956–1969 as a pitcher; Frank Howard played 1958–1973 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
Don Drysdale (1956–1969) and Frank Howard (1958–1973) played opposite sides of the ball, so there is no honest category-by-category scoreboard for this matchup. Don Drysdale pitched, totalling 209 wins and 2,486 strikeouts; Frank Howard hit, totalling 1,774 hits and 382 home runs. Each career is shown below in its own discipline, with PIV as the one measure that spans both roles.
Quick answer
- Who has the higher career PIV? Don Drysdale, with 57,464 career PIV to Frank Howard's 30,024.
- Who won more championships? Don Drysdale, with 3 World Series titles to Frank Howard's 2.
Don Drysdale
Frank Howard
Career Stats, Each in His Own Role
Don Drysdale is shown on pitching lines and Frank Howard on batting lines. Nothing is marked as a category winner, because these two cards measure different jobs — reading them cell against cell would tell you nothing.
Don Drysdale — Pitcher
| Statistic | Don Drysdale |
|---|---|
| Wins | 209 |
| Losses | 166 |
| Games | 518 |
| Games Started | 465 |
| Complete Games | 167 |
| Shutouts | 49 |
| Saves | 6 |
| Strikeouts | 2,486 |
| Walks | 855 |
| Hits Allowed | 3,084 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 280 |
| Innings Pitched | 3,432.0 |
| ERA | 2.95 |
| WHIP | 1.15 |
| K/9 | 6.52 |
| BB/9 | 2.24 |
Frank Howard — Hitter
| Statistic | Frank Howard |
|---|---|
| Games | 1,895 |
| At-Bats | 6,488 |
| Runs | 864 |
| Hits | 1,774 |
| Doubles | 245 |
| Triples | 35 |
| Home Runs | 382 |
| RBI | 1,119 |
| Walks | 782 |
| Strikeouts | 1,460 |
| Stolen Bases | 8 |
| Batting Avg | .273 |
| On-Base % | .352 |
| Slugging % | .499 |
| OPS | .851 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
Don Drysdale carries a career pitching PIV of 57,464; Frank Howard carries a career batting PIV of 30,024. Don Drysdale is the higher of the two at 57,464 to 30,024. Both figures adjust each season to league baselines, but batting PIV and pitching PIV are calibrated separately — so read this as a directional comparison of career impact, not a settled verdict.
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 within his own role — ERA for the pitcher (120+ innings), OPS for the hitter (300+ at-bats).
Don Drysdale — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Frank Howard — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
There is no head-to-head scoreboard for Don Drysdale and Frank Howard: one pitched and one hit, and no counting stat means the same thing on both cards. On PIV — the one metric that scores both roles against league baselines — Don Drysdale grades higher, 57,464 to 30,024. Because the batting and pitching versions of PIV are calibrated separately, that gap is a directional signal about career impact rather than a ruling on who was the better ballplayer. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Don Drysdale and Frank Howard careers compare
The careers of Don Drysdale (1956–1969) and Frank Howard (1958–1973) overlapped from 1958 to 1969, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Don Drysdale's pitching card shows 209 wins, a 2.95 ERA and 2,486 strikeouts. Frank Howard's batting card reads 1,774 hits, 382 home runs and a .273 average. No single table can grade a pitcher against a hitter, so each career is shown in its own discipline, with PIV as the common scale. Their best seasons are measured differently, 2.15 ERA in 1968 for Don Drysdale and .976 OPS in 1969 for Frank Howard.
Don Drysdale vs Frank Howard: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has the higher career PIV?
- Don Drysdale, with 57,464 career PIV to Frank Howard's 30,024.
- Who won more championships?
- Don Drysdale, with 3 World Series titles to Frank Howard's 2.
- How do Don Drysdale and Frank Howard compare?
- Don Drysdale played 1956–1969 and Frank Howard played 1958–1973; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.