Ken Griffey vs Lance Parrish: Career Stats Comparison
Ken Griffey has the better career line of the two, leading 14 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; Lance Parrish played 1977–1995 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 Lance Parrish (1977–1995) — 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; Lance Parrish finished with 1,782 hits and 324 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 Lance Parrish's 324.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ken Griffey, with .284 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits? Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.
- Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Lance Parrish's 1,070.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Lance Parrish's 6,792.
- Who won more championships? Lance Parrish, with 1 World Series title to Ken Griffey's 0.
Ken Griffey
Lance Parrish
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Griffey and Lance Parrish. 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 1970s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ken Griffey | Lance Parrish |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,671 | 1,988 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,801 | 7,067 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,662 | 856 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,781 | 1,782 |
| Doubles | Leads: 524 | 305 |
| Triples | Leads: 38 | 27 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 630 | 324 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,836 | 1,070 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,312 | 612 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,779 | 1,527 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 184 | 28 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .284 | .252 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .370 | .313 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .538 | .440 |
| OPS | Leads: .907 | .753 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Lance Parrish 43,975 to 6,792 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,912 PIV per season to 340, across 23 seasons to 20. 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.
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
Lance Parrish — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Lance Parrish owns no headline categories. 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 Lance Parrish careers compare
The careers of Ken Griffey (1989–2010) and Lance Parrish (1977–1995) overlapped from 1989 to 1995, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,671 games for Ken Griffey and 1,988 for Lance Parrish across 23 and 20 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Every scored category on the table goes to Ken Griffey. At the plate, Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312), and Lance Parrish struck out more than walked (1,527 to 612). Ken Griffey was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In on-base percentage, Ken Griffey holds the edge, .370 to .313.
Ken Griffey vs Lance Parrish: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ken Griffey or Lance Parrish?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Lance Parrish in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ken Griffey or Lance Parrish hit more home runs?
- Ken Griffey, with 630 to Lance Parrish's 324.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ken Griffey, with .907 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ken Griffey, with .284 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits?
- Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.