Tony Gwynn vs Dave Parker: Career Stats Comparison

Tony Gwynn (1982–2001) and Dave Parker (1973–1991) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Tony Gwynn finished with 3,141 hits and 135 home runs; Dave Parker finished with 2,712 hits and 339 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Tony Gwynn

Hitter · 1982–2001
Games
2,440
Hits
3,141
Home Runs
135
RBI
1,138
Avg
.338
OPS
.847
View Tony Gwynn's full profile →

Dave Parker

Hitter · 1973–1991
Games
2,466
Hits
2,712
Home Runs
339
RBI
1,493
Avg
.290
OPS
.810
View Dave Parker's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Tony Gwynn and Dave Parker. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Tony Gwynn Dave Parker
Games 2,440 2,466
At-Bats 9,288 9,358
Runs 1,383 1,272
Hits 3,141 2,712
Doubles 543 526
Triples 85 75
Home Runs 135 339
RBI 1,138 1,493
Walks 790 683
Strikeouts 434 1,537
Stolen Bases 319 154
Batting Avg .338 .290
On-Base % .388 .339
Slugging % .459 .471
OPS .847 .810

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tony Gwynn leads Dave Parker 30,602 to 23,542 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,530 vs 1,177 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Tony Gwynn
30,602
Career PIV · 1,530 per season (20 seasons)
Dave Parker
23,542
Career PIV · 1,177 per season (20 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Tony Gwynn — top 3 seasons by OPS

19941.022 OPS12 HR, 64 RBI, .394 avg
1987.958 OPS7 HR, 54 RBI, .370 avg
1997.957 OPS17 HR, 119 RBI, .372 avg

Dave Parker — top 3 seasons by OPS

1978.979 OPS30 HR, 117 RBI, .334 avg
1977.927 OPS21 HR, 88 RBI, .338 avg
1985.916 OPS34 HR, 125 RBI, .312 avg

Verdict

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

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