Ken Griffey vs Edgar Martinez: Career Stats Comparison

Ken Griffey (1989–2010) and Edgar Martinez (1987–2004) — 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; Edgar Martinez finished with 2,247 hits and 309 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 →

Edgar Martinez

Hitter · 1987–2004
Games
2,055
Hits
2,247
Home Runs
309
RBI
1,261
Avg
.312
OPS
.933
View Edgar Martinez's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ken Griffey Edgar Martinez
Games 2,671 2,055
At-Bats 9,801 7,213
Runs 1,662 1,219
Hits 2,781 2,247
Doubles 524 514
Triples 38 15
Home Runs 630 309
RBI 1,836 1,261
Walks 1,312 1,283
Strikeouts 1,779 1,202
Stolen Bases 184 49
Batting Avg .284 .312
On-Base % .370 .418
Slugging % .538 .515
OPS .907 .933

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey edges Edgar Martinez 43,975 to 41,586 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,912 vs 2,310 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)
Edgar Martinez
41,586
Career PIV · 2,310 per season (18 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

Edgar Martinez — top 3 seasons by OPS

19951.107 OPS29 HR, 113 RBI, .356 avg
19961.059 OPS26 HR, 103 RBI, .327 avg
19971.009 OPS28 HR, 108 RBI, .330 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Edgar Martinez owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. 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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