Carlton Fisk vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison

Carlton Fisk (1969–1993) and Jim Rice (1974–1989) — 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; Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a 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 →

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 Carlton Fisk and Jim Rice. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Carlton Fisk Jim Rice
Games 2,499 2,089
At-Bats 8,756 8,225
Runs 1,276 1,249
Hits 2,356 2,452
Doubles 421 373
Triples 47 79
Home Runs 376 382
RBI 1,330 1,451
Walks 849 670
Strikeouts 1,386 1,423
Stolen Bases 128 58
Batting Avg .269 .298
On-Base % .341 .352
Slugging % .457 .502
OPS .797 .854

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Rice outpaces Carlton Fisk 31,418 to 21,513 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,964 vs 896 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Carlton Fisk
21,513
Career PIV · 896 per season (24 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).

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

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, Jim Rice leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average, while Carlton Fisk owns runs and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Rice. PIV agrees: Jim Rice grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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