Ken Griffey vs Jimmy Rollins: Career Stats Comparison

Ken Griffey has the better career line of the two, leading 12 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; Jimmy Rollins played 2000–2016 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 Jimmy Rollins (2000–2016) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs; Jimmy Rollins finished with 2,455 hits and 231 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 Jimmy Rollins's 231.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Jimmy Rollins's .743.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Ken Griffey, with .284 to Jimmy Rollins's .264.
  • Who had more hits? Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Jimmy Rollins's 2,455.
  • Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Jimmy Rollins's 936.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Jimmy Rollins's 406.
  • Who won more championships? Jimmy Rollins, with 1 World Series title to Ken Griffey's 0.
Leads Ken Griffey 12 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Ken Griffey +43,569
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 →

Jimmy Rollins

Hitter · 2000–2016
Games
2,275
Hits
2,455
Home Runs
231
RBI
936
Avg
.264
OPS
.743
View Jimmy Rollins's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Griffey and Jimmy Rollins. 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 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Ken Griffey vs Jimmy Rollins: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Ken Griffey Jimmy Rollins
Games Leads: 2,671 2,275
At-Bats Leads: 9,801 9,294
Runs Leads: 1,662 1,421
Hits Leads: 2,781 2,455
Doubles Leads: 524 511
Triples 38 Leads: 115
Home Runs Leads: 630 231
RBI Leads: 1,836 936
Walks Leads: 1,312 813
Strikeouts not scored 1,779 1,264
Stolen Bases 184 Leads: 470
Batting Avg Leads: .284 .264
On-Base % Leads: .370 .324
Slugging % Leads: .538 .418
OPS Leads: .907 .743

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Jimmy Rollins 43,975 to 406 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,912 PIV per season to 24, across 23 seasons to 17. 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)
Jimmy Rollins
406
Career PIV · 24 per season (17 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

Jimmy Rollins — top 3 seasons by OPS

2007.875 OPS30 HR, 94 RBI, .296 avg
2006.811 OPS25 HR, 83 RBI, .277 avg
2004.803 OPS14 HR, 73 RBI, .289 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Jimmy Rollins owns 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.

Related Matchups

How the Ken Griffey and Jimmy Rollins careers compare

The careers of Ken Griffey (1989–2010) and Jimmy Rollins (2000–2016) overlapped from 2000 to 2010, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,671 games for Ken Griffey and 2,275 for Jimmy Rollins across 23 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Jimmy Rollins are triples (115 to 38) and stolen bases (470 to 184). Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312); Jimmy Rollins struck out more than walked (1,264 to 813). Ken Griffey is the more power-leaning hitter, with 630 of 2,781 hits leaving the park.

Ken Griffey vs Jimmy Rollins: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Ken Griffey or Jimmy Rollins?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Jimmy Rollins in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Ken Griffey or Jimmy Rollins hit more home runs?
Ken Griffey, with 630 to Jimmy Rollins's 231.
Who had the higher OPS?
Ken Griffey, with .907 to Jimmy Rollins's .743.
Who had the higher batting average?
Ken Griffey, with .284 to Jimmy Rollins's .264.
Who had more hits?
Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Jimmy Rollins's 2,455.

See These Players in Another Era