Carlton Fisk vs Lance Parrish: Career Stats Comparison

Carlton Fisk has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Carlton Fisk played 1969–1993 as a hitter; Lance Parrish played 1977–1995 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

Carlton Fisk (1969–1993) and Lance Parrish (1977–1995) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Carlton Fisk finished with 2,356 hits and 376 home runs; Lance Parrish finished with 1,782 hits and 324 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Carlton Fisk, with 376 to Lance Parrish's 324.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Carlton Fisk, with .797 to Lance Parrish's .753.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Carlton Fisk, with .269 to Lance Parrish's .252.
  • Who had more hits? Carlton Fisk, with 2,356 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.
  • Who drove in more runs? Carlton Fisk, with 1,330 to Lance Parrish's 1,070.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Carlton Fisk, with 21,513 career PIV to Lance Parrish's 6,792.
  • Who won more championships? Lance Parrish, with 1 World Series title to Carlton Fisk's 0.
Leads Carlton Fisk 14 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Carlton Fisk +14,721
Read the verdict ↓

Carlton Fisk

Hitter · 1969–1993
Games
2,499
Hits
2,356
Home Runs
376
RBI
1,330
Avg
.269
OPS
.797
View Carlton Fisk's full profile →

Lance Parrish

Hitter · 1977–1995
Games
1,988
Hits
1,782
Home Runs
324
RBI
1,070
Avg
.252
OPS
.753
View Lance Parrish's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Carlton Fisk and Lance Parrish. 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, and the 1960s and the 1970s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Carlton Fisk vs Lance Parrish: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Carlton Fisk Lance Parrish
Games Leads: 2,499 1,988
At-Bats Leads: 8,756 7,067
Runs Leads: 1,276 856
Hits Leads: 2,356 1,782
Doubles Leads: 421 305
Triples Leads: 47 27
Home Runs Leads: 376 324
RBI Leads: 1,330 1,070
Walks Leads: 849 612
Strikeouts not scored 1,386 1,527
Stolen Bases Leads: 128 28
Batting Avg Leads: .269 .252
On-Base % Leads: .341 .313
Slugging % Leads: .457 .440
OPS Leads: .797 .753

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Carlton Fisk outpaces Lance Parrish 21,513 to 6,792 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 896 PIV per season to 340, across 24 seasons to 20. 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.

Carlton Fisk
21,513
Career PIV · 896 per season (24 seasons)
Lance Parrish
6,792
Career PIV · 340 per season (20 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Carlton Fisk — top 3 seasons by OPS

1977.922 OPS26 HR, 102 RBI, .315 avg
1972.909 OPS22 HR, 61 RBI, .293 avg
1983.874 OPS26 HR, 86 RBI, .289 avg

Lance Parrish — top 3 seasons by OPS

1982.867 OPS32 HR, 87 RBI, .284 avg
1980.825 OPS24 HR, 82 RBI, .286 avg
1986.824 OPS22 HR, 62 RBI, .257 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Carlton Fisk leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Lance Parrish owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Carlton Fisk. PIV agrees: Carlton Fisk grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Carlton Fisk and Lance Parrish careers compare

The careers of Carlton Fisk (1969–1993) and Lance Parrish (1977–1995) overlapped from 1977 to 1993, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,499 games for Carlton Fisk and 1,988 for Lance Parrish across 24 and 20 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Carlton Fisk leads every scored row of the table. Carlton Fisk struck out more than walked (1,386 to 849); Lance Parrish struck out more than walked (1,527 to 612). Carlton Fisk was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Carlton Fisk holds the edge, .457 to .440.

Carlton Fisk vs Lance Parrish: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Carlton Fisk or Lance Parrish?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Carlton Fisk leads Lance Parrish in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Carlton Fisk or Lance Parrish hit more home runs?
Carlton Fisk, with 376 to Lance Parrish's 324.
Who had the higher OPS?
Carlton Fisk, with .797 to Lance Parrish's .753.
Who had the higher batting average?
Carlton Fisk, with .269 to Lance Parrish's .252.
Who had more hits?
Carlton Fisk, with 2,356 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.