Cole Hamels vs Jake Peavy: Career Stats Comparison

Cole Hamels (2006–2020) and Jake Peavy (2002–2016) — both came up during the 2000s, so the matchup is a direct one. Cole Hamels compiled 163 wins and 2,560 strikeouts; Jake Peavy put up 152 wins and 2,207 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Cole Hamels

Pitcher · 2006–2020
Wins
163
Losses
122
Strikeouts
2,560
ERA
3.43
WHIP
1.18
IP
2,698
View Cole Hamels's full profile →

Jake Peavy

Pitcher · 2002–2016
Wins
152
Losses
126
Strikeouts
2,207
ERA
3.63
WHIP
1.20
IP
2,377
View Jake Peavy's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.

Statistic Cole Hamels Jake Peavy
Wins 163 152
Losses 122 126
Games 423 388
Games Started 422 377
Complete Games 17 15
Shutouts 7 6
Saves 0 0
Strikeouts 2,560 2,207
Walks 767 708
Hits Allowed 2,424 2,134
Home Runs Allowed 310 259
Innings Pitched 2,698 2,377
ERA 3.43 3.63
WHIP 1.18 1.20
K/9 8.54 8.36
BB/9 2.56 2.68

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jake Peavy edges Cole Hamels 34,745 to 32,591 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,930 vs 1,917 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Cole Hamels
32,591
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,917 per season (17 seasons)
Jake Peavy
34,745
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,930 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Cole Hamels — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20142.46 ERA9-9, 198 K in 204 IP
20112.79 ERA14-9, 194 K in 216 IP
20123.05 ERA17-6, 216 K in 215 IP

Jake Peavy — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

20042.27 ERA15-6, 173 K in 166 IP
20072.54 ERA19-6, 240 K in 223 IP
20082.85 ERA10-11, 166 K in 173 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Cole Hamels leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Jake Peavy owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Cole Hamels. Note that PIV actually grades Jake Peavy ahead, which means Cole Hamels's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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