Ken Griffey vs Joe Morgan: Career Stats Comparison

Ken Griffey has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Ken Griffey played 1989–2010 as a hitter; Joe Morgan played 1963–1984 as a hitter.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

Ken Griffey (1989–2010) and Joe Morgan (1963–1984) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs; Joe Morgan finished with 2,517 hits and 268 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Ken Griffey, with 630 to Joe Morgan's 268.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Joe Morgan's .819.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Ken Griffey, with .284 to Joe Morgan's .271.
  • Who had more hits? Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Joe Morgan's 2,517.
  • Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Joe Morgan's 1,133.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Joe Morgan's 39,255.
  • Who won more championships? Joe Morgan, with 2 World Series titles to Ken Griffey's 0.
Leads Ken Griffey 10 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Ken Griffey +4,720
Read the 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 →

Joe Morgan

Hitter · 1963–1984
Games
2,649
Hits
2,517
Home Runs
268
RBI
1,133
Avg
.271
OPS
.819
View Joe Morgan's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1980s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Ken Griffey vs Joe Morgan: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Ken Griffey Joe Morgan
Games Leads: 2,671 2,649
At-Bats Leads: 9,801 9,277
Runs Leads: 1,662 1,650
Hits Leads: 2,781 2,517
Doubles Leads: 524 449
Triples 38 Leads: 96
Home Runs Leads: 630 268
RBI Leads: 1,836 1,133
Walks 1,312 Leads: 1,865
Strikeouts not scored 1,779 1,015
Stolen Bases 184 Leads: 689
Batting Avg Leads: .284 .271
On-Base % .370 Leads: .392
Slugging % Leads: .538 .427
OPS Leads: .907 .819

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey leads Joe Morgan 43,975 to 39,255 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,912 PIV per season to 1,784, across 23 seasons to 22. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.

Ken Griffey
43,975
Career PIV · 1,912 per season (23 seasons)
Joe Morgan
39,255
Career PIV · 1,784 per season (22 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

Joe Morgan — top 3 seasons by OPS

19761.020 OPS27 HR, 111 RBI, .320 avg
1975.974 OPS17 HR, 94 RBI, .327 avg
1974.921 OPS22 HR, 67 RBI, .293 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Joe Morgan owns stolen bases 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.

Related Matchups

How the Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan careers compare

Joe Morgan (1963–1984) was finished before Ken Griffey (1989–2010) arrived, so they never shared a league. The two careers are close in length, 2,671 games for Ken Griffey and 2,649 for Joe Morgan across 23 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Joe Morgan comes out ahead, it is in triples (96 to 38), walks (1,865 to 1,312), and stolen bases (689 to 184). At the plate, Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312), while Joe Morgan walked more often than struck out (1,865 walks, 1,015 strikeouts).

Ken Griffey vs Joe Morgan: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Ken Griffey or Joe Morgan?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Joe Morgan in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Ken Griffey or Joe Morgan hit more home runs?
Ken Griffey, with 630 to Joe Morgan's 268.
Who had the higher OPS?
Ken Griffey, with .907 to Joe Morgan's .819.
Who had the higher batting average?
Ken Griffey, with .284 to Joe Morgan's .271.
Who had more hits?
Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Joe Morgan's 2,517.

See These Players in Another Era