Don Drysdale vs Duke Snider: Career Stats Comparison

Don Drysdale and Duke Snider 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; Duke Snider played 1947–1964 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 Duke Snider (1947–1964) 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; Duke Snider hit, totalling 2,116 hits and 407 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 Duke Snider's 39,968.
  • Who won more championships? Don Drysdale, with 3 World Series titles to Duke Snider's 2.

Don Drysdale

Pitcher · 1956–1969
Wins
209
Losses
166
Strikeouts
2,486
ERA
2.95
WHIP
1.15
IP
3,432.0
View Don Drysdale's full profile →

Duke Snider

Hitter · 1947–1964
Games
2,143
Hits
2,116
Home Runs
407
RBI
1,333
Avg
.295
OPS
.919
View Duke Snider's full profile →

Career Stats, Each in His Own Role

Don Drysdale is shown on pitching lines and Duke Snider 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

Don Drysdale vs Duke Snider: Career Stats Comparison — 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

Duke Snider — Hitter

Don Drysdale vs Duke Snider: Career Stats Comparison — Duke Snider — Hitter
Statistic Duke Snider
Games 2,143
At-Bats 7,161
Runs 1,259
Hits 2,116
Doubles 358
Triples 85
Home Runs 407
RBI 1,333
Walks 971
Strikeouts 1,237
Stolen Bases 99
Batting Avg .295
On-Base % .380
Slugging % .540
OPS .919

PIV Comparison through 2025

Don Drysdale carries a career pitching PIV of 57,464; Duke Snider carries a career batting PIV of 39,968. Don Drysdale is the higher of the two at 57,464 to 39,968. 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.

Don Drysdale
57,464
Career Pitcher PIV · 4,105 per season (14 seasons)
Duke Snider
39,968
Career PIV · 2,220 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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)

19682.15 ERA14-12, 155 K in 239 IP
19642.18 ERA18-16, 237 K in 321 IP
19632.63 ERA19-17, 251 K in 315 IP

Duke Snider — top 3 seasons by OPS

19541.071 OPS40 HR, 130 RBI, .341 avg
19531.046 OPS42 HR, 126 RBI, .336 avg
19551.046 OPS42 HR, 136 RBI, .309 avg

Verdict

There is no head-to-head scoreboard for Don Drysdale and Duke Snider: 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 39,968. 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 Duke Snider careers compare

Don Drysdale and Duke Snider were active at the same time between 1956 and 1964. Don Drysdale's pitching card shows 209 wins, a 2.95 ERA and 2,486 strikeouts. As a hitter, Duke Snider collected 2,116 hits and 407 home runs with a .919 OPS. 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 1.071 OPS in 1954 for Duke Snider.

Don Drysdale vs Duke Snider: Frequently Asked Questions

Who has the higher career PIV?
Don Drysdale, with 57,464 career PIV to Duke Snider's 39,968.
Who won more championships?
Don Drysdale, with 3 World Series titles to Duke Snider's 2.
How do Don Drysdale and Duke Snider compare?
Don Drysdale played 1956–1969 and Duke Snider played 1947–1964; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.

See These Players in Another Era