John Franco vs Robb Nen: Career Stats Comparison
John Franco (1984–2005) and Robb Nen (1993–2002) — breaking in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. John Franco compiled 90 wins and 975 strikeouts; Robb Nen put up 45 wins and 793 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.
John Franco
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.
| Statistic | John Franco | Robb Nen |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 90 | 45 |
| Losses | 87 | 42 |
| Games | 1,119 | 643 |
| Games Started | 0 | 4 |
| Complete Games | 0 | 0 |
| Shutouts | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | 424 | 314 |
| Strikeouts | 975 | 793 |
| Walks | 495 | 260 |
| Hits Allowed | 1,166 | 607 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 81 | 51 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,245 | 715 |
| ERA | 2.89 | 2.98 |
| WHIP | 1.33 | 1.21 |
| K/9 | 7.04 | 9.98 |
| BB/9 | 3.58 | 3.27 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Robb Nen leads John Franco 28,255 to 22,498 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,569 vs 1,071 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).
John Franco — top 0 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Robb Nen — top 0 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, John Franco leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and innings pitched, while Robb Nen owns WHIP and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to John Franco. Note that PIV actually grades Robb Nen ahead, which means John Franco's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.