Juan Gonzalez vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison

Juan Gonzalez (1989–2005) and Jim Rice (1974–1989) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Juan Gonzalez finished with 1,936 hits and 434 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.

Juan Gonzalez

Hitter · 1989–2005
Games
1,689
Hits
1,936
Home Runs
434
RBI
1,404
Avg
.295
OPS
.904
View Juan Gonzalez'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 Juan Gonzalez 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 Juan Gonzalez Jim Rice
Games 1,689 2,089
At-Bats 6,556 8,225
Runs 1,061 1,249
Hits 1,936 2,452
Doubles 388 373
Triples 25 79
Home Runs 434 382
RBI 1,404 1,451
Walks 457 670
Strikeouts 1,273 1,423
Stolen Bases 26 58
Batting Avg .295 .298
On-Base % .343 .352
Slugging % .561 .502
OPS .904 .854

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Rice leads Juan Gonzalez 31,418 to 25,105 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,964 vs 1,477 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Juan Gonzalez
25,105
Career PIV · 1,477 per season (17 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).

Juan Gonzalez — top 3 seasons by OPS

19961.011 OPS47 HR, 144 RBI, .314 avg
19931.000 OPS46 HR, 118 RBI, .310 avg
1998.997 OPS45 HR, 157 RBI, .318 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, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Juan Gonzalez owns home runs and OPS. 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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