Ken Griffey vs Ben Zobrist: Career Stats Comparison
Ken Griffey has the better career line of the two, leading 13 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; Ben Zobrist played 2006–2019 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 Ben Zobrist (2006–2019) — 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; Ben Zobrist finished with 1,566 hits and 167 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 Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey, with .907 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ken Griffey, with .284 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits? Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.
- Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey, with 1,836 to Ben Zobrist's 768.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey, with 43,975 career PIV to Ben Zobrist's 10,712.
- Who won more championships? Ben Zobrist, with 2 World Series titles to Ken Griffey's 0.
Ken Griffey
Ben Zobrist
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Griffey and Ben Zobrist. 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.
| Statistic | Ken Griffey | Ben Zobrist |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,671 | 1,651 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,801 | 5,880 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,662 | 884 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,781 | 1,566 |
| Doubles | Leads: 524 | 349 |
| Triples | 38 | Leads: 44 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 630 | 167 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,836 | 768 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,312 | 832 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,779 | 994 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 184 | 116 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .284 | .266 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .370 | .357 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .538 | .426 |
| OPS | Leads: .907 | .783 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Ben Zobrist 43,975 to 10,712 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,912 PIV per season to 714, across 23 seasons to 15. 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
Ben Zobrist — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ben Zobrist 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 Ben Zobrist careers compare
Ken Griffey and Ben Zobrist were active at the same time between 2006 and 2010. Ken Griffey has the far longer record, 2,671 games against 1,651 across 23 and 15 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Ben Zobrist are triples (44 to 38). At the plate, Ken Griffey struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312), and Ben Zobrist struck out more than walked (994 to 832). Home runs make up a larger share of Ken Griffey's hits: 630 of 2,781 for Ken Griffey, 167 of 1,566 for Ben Zobrist.
Ken Griffey vs Ben Zobrist: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ken Griffey or Ben Zobrist?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey leads Ben Zobrist in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ken Griffey or Ben Zobrist hit more home runs?
- Ken Griffey, with 630 to Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ken Griffey, with .907 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ken Griffey, with .284 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Ken Griffey, with 2,781 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.