Bill Freehan vs Bobby Grich: Career Stats Comparison
Bobby Grich 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). Bill Freehan played 1961–1976 as a hitter; Bobby Grich played 1970–1986 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
Bill Freehan (1961–1976) and Bobby Grich (1970–1986) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Bill Freehan finished with 1,591 hits and 200 home runs; Bobby Grich finished with 1,833 hits and 224 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Bobby Grich, with 224 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Bobby Grich, with .794 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average? Bobby Grich, with .266 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits? Bobby Grich, with 1,833 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.
- Who drove in more runs? Bobby Grich, with 864 to Bill Freehan's 758.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Bobby Grich, with 20,680 career PIV to Bill Freehan's 12,940.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Bill Freehan
Bobby Grich
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bill Freehan and Bobby Grich. 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.
| Statistic | Bill Freehan | Bobby Grich |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,774 | Leads: 2,008 |
| At-Bats | 6,073 | Leads: 6,890 |
| Runs | 706 | Leads: 1,033 |
| Hits | 1,591 | Leads: 1,833 |
| Doubles | 241 | Leads: 320 |
| Triples | 35 | Leads: 47 |
| Home Runs | 200 | Leads: 224 |
| RBI | 758 | Leads: 864 |
| Walks | 626 | Leads: 1,087 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 753 | 1,278 |
| Stolen Bases | 24 | Leads: 104 |
| Batting Avg | .262 | Leads: .266 |
| On-Base % | .340 | Leads: .371 |
| Slugging % | .412 | Leads: .424 |
| OPS | .752 | Leads: .794 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bobby Grich outpaces Bill Freehan 20,680 to 12,940 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,216 PIV per season to 863, across 17 seasons to 15. 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).
Bill Freehan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bobby Grich — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Bobby Grich leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Freehan owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bobby Grich. PIV agrees: Bobby Grich grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Bill Freehan and Bobby Grich careers compare
The careers of Bill Freehan (1961–1976) and Bobby Grich (1970–1986) overlapped from 1970 to 1976, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 1,774 games against 2,008 across 15 and 17 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Bobby Grich leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Bill Freehan struck out more than walked (753 to 626), and Bobby Grich struck out more than walked (1,278 to 1,087). Bobby Grich was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Bobby Grich's on-base percentage of .371 tops Bill Freehan's .340.
Bill Freehan vs Bobby Grich: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bill Freehan or Bobby Grich?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Bobby Grich leads Bill Freehan in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bill Freehan or Bobby Grich hit more home runs?
- Bobby Grich, with 224 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Bobby Grich, with .794 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Bobby Grich, with .266 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits?
- Bobby Grich, with 1,833 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.