Vladimir Guerrero vs Rickey Henderson: Career Stats Comparison

Vladimir Guerrero (1996–2011) and Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) — they broke in during the 1990s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Vladimir Guerrero finished with 2,590 hits and 449 home runs; Rickey Henderson finished with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Vladimir Guerrero

Hitter · 1996–2011
Games
2,147
Hits
2,590
Home Runs
449
RBI
1,496
Avg
.318
OPS
.931
View Vladimir Guerrero's full profile →

Rickey Henderson

Hitter · 1979–2003
Games
3,081
Hits
3,055
Home Runs
297
RBI
1,115
Avg
.279
OPS
.820
View Rickey Henderson's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Vladimir Guerrero and Rickey Henderson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Vladimir Guerrero Rickey Henderson
Games 2,147 3,081
At-Bats 8,155 10,961
Runs 1,328 2,295
Hits 2,590 3,055
Doubles 477 510
Triples 46 66
Home Runs 449 297
RBI 1,496 1,115
Walks 737 2,190
Strikeouts 985 1,694
Stolen Bases 181 1,406
Batting Avg .318 .279
On-Base % .379 .401
Slugging % .553 .419
OPS .931 .820

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Vladimir Guerrero edges Rickey Henderson 39,843 to 37,642 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,490 vs 1,298 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Vladimir Guerrero
39,843
Career PIV · 2,490 per season (16 seasons)
Rickey Henderson
37,642
Career PIV · 1,298 per season (29 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Vladimir Guerrero — top 3 seasons by OPS

20001.074 OPS44 HR, 123 RBI, .345 avg
20031.012 OPS25 HR, 79 RBI, .330 avg
20021.010 OPS39 HR, 111 RBI, .336 avg

Rickey Henderson — top 3 seasons by OPS

19931.023 OPS17 HR, 47 RBI, .327 avg
19901.016 OPS28 HR, 61 RBI, .325 avg
1985.934 OPS24 HR, 72 RBI, .314 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Vladimir Guerrero leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OPS, while Rickey Henderson owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Vladimir Guerrero. PIV agrees: Vladimir Guerrero grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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