Dwight Evans vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison

Dwight Evans has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Dwight Evans played 1972–1991 as a hitter; Jim Rice played 1974–1989 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 Jim Rice (1974–1989) — 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; Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 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 Jim Rice's 382.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Jim Rice, with .854 to Dwight Evans's .840.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Jim Rice, with .298 to Dwight Evans's .272.
  • Who had more hits? Jim Rice, with 2,452 to Dwight Evans's 2,446.
  • Who drove in more runs? Jim Rice, with 1,451 to Dwight Evans's 1,384.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Dwight Evans, with 35,680 career PIV to Jim Rice's 31,418.
Leads Dwight Evans 8 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Dwight Evans +4,262
Read the verdict ↓

Dwight Evans

Hitter · 1972–1991
Games
2,606
Hits
2,446
Home Runs
385
RBI
1,384
Avg
.272
OPS
.840
View Dwight Evans's full profile →

Jim Rice

Hitter · 1974–1989
Games
2,089
Hits
2,452
Home Runs
382
RBI
1,451
Avg
.298
OPS
.854
View Jim Rice's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Dwight Evans and Jim Rice. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Dwight Evans vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Dwight Evans Jim Rice
Games Leads: 2,606 2,089
At-Bats Leads: 8,996 8,225
Runs Leads: 1,470 1,249
Hits 2,446 Leads: 2,452
Doubles Leads: 483 373
Triples 73 Leads: 79
Home Runs Leads: 385 382
RBI 1,384 Leads: 1,451
Walks Leads: 1,391 670
Strikeouts 1,697 1,423
Stolen Bases Leads: 78 58
Batting Avg .272 Leads: .298
On-Base % Leads: .370 .352
Slugging % .470 Leads: .502
OPS .840 Leads: .854

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dwight Evans leads Jim Rice 35,680 to 31,418 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,784 vs 1,964 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Dwight Evans
35,680
Career PIV · 1,784 per season (20 seasons)
Jim Rice
31,418
Career PIV · 1,964 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1987.986 OPS34 HR, 123 RBI, .305 avg
1981.937 OPS22 HR, 71 RBI, .296 avg
1982.936 OPS32 HR, 98 RBI, .292 avg

Jim Rice — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.977 OPS39 HR, 130 RBI, .325 avg
1978.970 OPS46 HR, 139 RBI, .315 avg
1977.969 OPS39 HR, 114 RBI, .320 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Dwight Evans leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and OBP, while Jim Rice owns hits, RBI, and batting average. 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

Dwight Evans vs Jim Rice: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Dwight Evans or Jim Rice?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Dwight Evans leads Jim Rice in 8 of 14 categories.
Did Dwight Evans or Jim Rice hit more home runs?
Dwight Evans, with 385 to Jim Rice's 382.
Who had the higher OPS?
Jim Rice, with .854 to Dwight Evans's .840.
Who had the higher batting average?
Jim Rice, with .298 to Dwight Evans's .272.
Who had more hits?
Jim Rice, with 2,452 to Dwight Evans's 2,446.