Dwight Evans vs Kirk Gibson: Career Stats Comparison
Dwight Evans has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Dwight Evans played 1972–1991 as a hitter; Kirk Gibson played 1979–1995 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
Dwight Evans (1972–1991) and Kirk Gibson (1979–1995) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Dwight Evans finished with 2,446 hits and 385 home runs; Kirk Gibson finished with 1,553 hits and 255 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Dwight Evans, with 385 to Kirk Gibson's 255.
- Who had the higher OPS? Dwight Evans, with .840 to Kirk Gibson's .815.
- Who had the higher batting average? Dwight Evans, with .272 to Kirk Gibson's .268.
- Who had more hits? Dwight Evans, with 2,446 to Kirk Gibson's 1,553.
- Who drove in more runs? Dwight Evans, with 1,384 to Kirk Gibson's 870.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Dwight Evans, with 35,680 career PIV to Kirk Gibson's 15,883.
- Who won more championships? Kirk Gibson, with 2 World Series titles to Dwight Evans's 0.
Dwight Evans
Kirk Gibson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Dwight Evans and Kirk Gibson. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Dwight Evans | Kirk Gibson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,606 | 1,635 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 8,996 | 5,798 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,470 | 985 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,446 | 1,553 |
| Doubles | Leads: 483 | 260 |
| Triples | Leads: 73 | 54 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 385 | 255 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,384 | 870 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,391 | 718 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,697 | 1,285 |
| Stolen Bases | 78 | Leads: 284 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .272 | .268 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .370 | .352 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .470 | .463 |
| OPS | Leads: .840 | .815 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dwight Evans outpaces Kirk Gibson 35,680 to 15,883 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,784 PIV per season to 934, across 20 seasons to 17. 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).
Dwight Evans — top 3 seasons by OPS
Kirk Gibson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Dwight Evans leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Kirk Gibson owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Dwight Evans. PIV agrees: Dwight Evans grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Dwight Evans and Kirk Gibson careers compare
The careers of Dwight Evans (1972–1991) and Kirk Gibson (1979–1995) overlapped from 1979 to 1991, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Dwight Evans has the far longer record, 2,606 games against 1,635 across 20 and 17 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Kirk Gibson are stolen bases (284 to 78). At the plate, Dwight Evans struck out more than walked (1,697 to 1,391), and Kirk Gibson struck out more than walked (1,285 to 718). Kirk Gibson was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Dwight Evans's slugging percentage of .470 tops Kirk Gibson's .463.
Dwight Evans vs Kirk Gibson: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Dwight Evans or Kirk Gibson?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Dwight Evans leads Kirk Gibson in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Dwight Evans or Kirk Gibson hit more home runs?
- Dwight Evans, with 385 to Kirk Gibson's 255.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Dwight Evans, with .840 to Kirk Gibson's .815.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Dwight Evans, with .272 to Kirk Gibson's .268.
- Who had more hits?
- Dwight Evans, with 2,446 to Kirk Gibson's 1,553.