Ken Griffey vs Barry Larkin: Career Stats Comparison

Ken Griffey (1989–2010) and Barry Larkin (1986–2004) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs; Barry Larkin finished with 2,340 hits and 198 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Ken Griffey

Hitter · 1989–2010
Games
2,671
Hits
2,781
Home Runs
630
RBI
1,836
Avg
.284
OPS
.907
View Ken Griffey's full profile →

Barry Larkin

Hitter · 1986–2004
Games
2,180
Hits
2,340
Home Runs
198
RBI
960
Avg
.295
OPS
.815
View Barry Larkin's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Griffey and Barry Larkin. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Ken Griffey Barry Larkin
Games 2,671 2,180
At-Bats 9,801 7,937
Runs 1,662 1,329
Hits 2,781 2,340
Doubles 524 441
Triples 38 76
Home Runs 630 198
RBI 1,836 960
Walks 1,312 939
Strikeouts 1,779 817
Stolen Bases 184 379
Batting Avg .284 .295
On-Base % .370 .371
Slugging % .538 .444
OPS .907 .815

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Barry Larkin 43,975 to 17,788 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,912 vs 936 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Ken Griffey
43,975
Career PIV · 1,912 per season (23 seasons)
Barry Larkin
17,788
Career PIV · 936 per season (19 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

19941.076 OPS40 HR, 90 RBI, .323 avg
19971.028 OPS56 HR, 147 RBI, .304 avg
19931.025 OPS45 HR, 109 RBI, .309 avg

Barry Larkin — top 3 seasons by OPS

1996.977 OPS33 HR, 89 RBI, .298 avg
1998.901 OPS17 HR, 72 RBI, .309 avg
1995.886 OPS15 HR, 66 RBI, .319 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Barry Larkin owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. 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.

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