Ken Griffey vs Larry Walker: Career Stats Comparison

Ken Griffey (1989–2010) and Larry Walker (1989–2005) — 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; Larry Walker finished with 2,160 hits and 383 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 →

Larry Walker

Hitter · 1989–2005
Games
1,988
Hits
2,160
Home Runs
383
RBI
1,311
Avg
.313
OPS
.965
View Larry Walker's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ken Griffey Larry Walker
Games 2,671 1,988
At-Bats 9,801 6,907
Runs 1,662 1,355
Hits 2,781 2,160
Doubles 524 471
Triples 38 62
Home Runs 630 383
RBI 1,836 1,311
Walks 1,312 913
Strikeouts 1,779 1,231
Stolen Bases 184 230
Batting Avg .284 .313
On-Base % .370 .400
Slugging % .538 .565
OPS .907 .965

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey edges Larry Walker 43,975 to 42,378 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,912 vs 2,354 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)
Larry Walker
42,378
Career PIV · 2,354 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

Larry Walker — top 3 seasons by OPS

19971.172 OPS49 HR, 130 RBI, .366 avg
19991.168 OPS37 HR, 115 RBI, .379 avg
20011.111 OPS38 HR, 123 RBI, .350 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Larry Walker 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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