Andres Galarraga vs Mark McGwire: Career Stats Comparison

Andres Galarraga (1985–2004) and Mark McGwire (1986–2001) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Andres Galarraga finished with 2,333 hits and 399 home runs; Mark McGwire finished with 1,626 hits and 583 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Andres Galarraga

Hitter · 1985–2004
Games
2,257
Hits
2,333
Home Runs
399
RBI
1,425
Avg
.288
OPS
.846
View Andres Galarraga's full profile →

Mark McGwire

Hitter · 1986–2001
Games
1,874
Hits
1,626
Home Runs
583
RBI
1,414
Avg
.263
OPS
.982
View Mark McGwire's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Andres Galarraga and Mark McGwire. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Andres Galarraga Mark McGwire
Games 2,257 1,874
At-Bats 8,096 6,187
Runs 1,195 1,167
Hits 2,333 1,626
Doubles 444 252
Triples 32 6
Home Runs 399 583
RBI 1,425 1,414
Walks 583 1,317
Strikeouts 2,003 1,596
Stolen Bases 128 12
Batting Avg .288 .263
On-Base % .347 .394
Slugging % .499 .588
OPS .846 .982

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mark McGwire outpaces Andres Galarraga 44,531 to 23,400 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,620 vs 1,170 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Andres Galarraga
23,400
Career PIV · 1,170 per season (20 seasons)
Mark McGwire
44,531
Career PIV · 2,620 per season (17 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Andres Galarraga — top 3 seasons by OPS

19931.005 OPS22 HR, 98 RBI, .370 avg
1998.991 OPS44 HR, 121 RBI, .305 avg
1997.974 OPS41 HR, 140 RBI, .318 avg

Mark McGwire — top 3 seasons by OPS

19981.222 OPS70 HR, 147 RBI, .299 avg
19961.198 OPS52 HR, 113 RBI, .312 avg
19951.125 OPS39 HR, 90 RBI, .274 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Andres Galarraga leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Mark McGwire owns home runs, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Andres Galarraga. Note that PIV actually grades Mark McGwire ahead, which means Andres Galarraga's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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