Ken Griffey vs Rickey Henderson: Career Stats Comparison
Ken Griffey (1989–2010) and Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs; Rickey Henderson finished with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Ken Griffey
Rickey Henderson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Griffey and Rickey Henderson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Ken Griffey | Rickey Henderson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,671 | 3,081 |
| At-Bats | 9,801 | 10,961 |
| Runs | 1,662 | 2,295 |
| Hits | 2,781 | 3,055 |
| Doubles | 524 | 510 |
| Triples | 38 | 66 |
| Home Runs | 630 | 297 |
| RBI | 1,836 | 1,115 |
| Walks | 1,312 | 2,190 |
| Strikeouts | 1,779 | 1,694 |
| Stolen Bases | 184 | 1,406 |
| Batting Avg | .284 | .279 |
| On-Base % | .370 | .401 |
| Slugging % | .538 | .419 |
| OPS | .907 | .820 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey leads Rickey Henderson 43,975 to 37,642 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,912 vs 1,298 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 OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Ken Griffey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Rickey Henderson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OPS, while Rickey Henderson owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ken Griffey. PIV agrees: Ken Griffey grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.