Todd Helton vs Mark McGwire: Career Stats Comparison
Todd Helton has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Todd Helton played 1997–2013 as a hitter; Mark McGwire played 1986–2001 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
Todd Helton (1997–2013) and Mark McGwire (1986–2001) — they broke in during the 1990s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Todd Helton finished with 2,519 hits and 369 home runs; Mark McGwire finished with 1,626 hits and 583 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Mark McGwire, with 583 to Todd Helton's 369.
- Who had the higher OPS? Mark McGwire, with .982 to Todd Helton's .953.
- Who had the higher batting average? Todd Helton, with .316 to Mark McGwire's .263.
- Who had more hits? Todd Helton, with 2,519 to Mark McGwire's 1,626.
- Who drove in more runs? Mark McGwire, with 1,414 to Todd Helton's 1,406.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Todd Helton, with 48,515 career PIV to Mark McGwire's 44,531.
- Who won more championships? Mark McGwire, with 1 World Series title to Todd Helton's 0.
Todd Helton
Mark McGwire
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Todd Helton and Mark McGwire. 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 1990s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Todd Helton | Mark McGwire |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,247 | 1,874 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,962 | 6,187 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,401 | 1,167 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,519 | 1,626 |
| Doubles | Leads: 592 | 252 |
| Triples | Leads: 37 | 6 |
| Home Runs | 369 | Leads: 583 |
| RBI | 1,406 | Leads: 1,414 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,335 | 1,317 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,175 | 1,596 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 37 | 12 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .316 | .263 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .414 | .394 |
| Slugging % | .539 | Leads: .588 |
| OPS | .953 | Leads: .982 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Todd Helton leads Mark McGwire 48,515 to 44,531 — driven by per-season impact — 2,854 PIV per season to 2,620 — rather than by longevity, since Todd Helton played 17 seasons to Mark McGwire's 17. 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).
Todd Helton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Mark McGwire — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Todd Helton leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Mark McGwire owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Todd Helton. PIV agrees: Todd Helton grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Todd Helton and Mark McGwire careers compare
The careers of Todd Helton (1997–2013) and Mark McGwire (1986–2001) overlapped from 1997 to 2001, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,247 games for Todd Helton and 1,874 for Mark McGwire across 17 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Mark McGwire's edges on the table are home runs (583 to 369), RBI (1,414 to 1,406), and slugging percentage (.588 to .539). At the plate, Todd Helton walked more often than struck out (1,335 walks, 1,175 strikeouts), while Mark McGwire struck out more than walked (1,596 to 1,317).
Todd Helton vs Mark McGwire: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Todd Helton or Mark McGwire?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Todd Helton leads Mark McGwire in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Todd Helton or Mark McGwire hit more home runs?
- Mark McGwire, with 583 to Todd Helton's 369.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Mark McGwire, with .982 to Todd Helton's .953.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Todd Helton, with .316 to Mark McGwire's .263.
- Who had more hits?
- Todd Helton, with 2,519 to Mark McGwire's 1,626.