Rickey Henderson vs David Justice: Career Stats Comparison
Rickey Henderson 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). Rickey Henderson played 1979–2003 as a hitter; David Justice played 1989–2002 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
Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) and David Justice (1989–2002) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Rickey Henderson finished with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs; David Justice finished with 1,571 hits and 305 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? David Justice, with 305 to Rickey Henderson's 297.
- Who had the higher OPS? David Justice, with .878 to Rickey Henderson's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average? Neither — both are at .279.
- Who had more hits? Rickey Henderson, with 3,055 to David Justice's 1,571.
- Who drove in more runs? Rickey Henderson, with 1,115 to David Justice's 1,017.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rickey Henderson, with 37,642 career PIV to David Justice's 21,452.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 2 World Series titles.
Rickey Henderson
David Justice
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rickey Henderson and David Justice. 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 1970s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Rickey Henderson | David Justice |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,081 | 1,610 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,961 | 5,625 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,295 | 929 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,055 | 1,571 |
| Doubles | Leads: 510 | 280 |
| Triples | Leads: 66 | 24 |
| Home Runs | 297 | Leads: 305 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,115 | 1,017 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,190 | 903 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,694 | 999 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 1,406 | 53 |
| Batting Avg | .279 | Leads: .279 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .401 | .378 |
| Slugging % | .419 | Leads: .500 |
| OPS | .820 | Leads: .878 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rickey Henderson outpaces David Justice 37,642 to 21,452 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Rickey Henderson played 29 seasons to David Justice's 15, while David Justice carries the higher per-season figure (1,430 to 1,298). 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).
Rickey Henderson — top 3 seasons by OPS
David Justice — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rickey Henderson leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while David Justice owns home runs, batting average, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rickey Henderson. PIV agrees: Rickey Henderson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Rickey Henderson and David Justice careers compare
The careers of Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) and David Justice (1989–2002) overlapped from 1989 to 2002, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The table compares 3,081 games of Rickey Henderson with 1,610 of David Justice across 29 and 15 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Where David Justice comes out ahead, it is in home runs (305 to 297), batting average (.279 to .279), and slugging percentage (.500 to .419). Plate discipline differs: Rickey Henderson walked more often than struck out (2,190 walks, 1,694 strikeouts), but David Justice struck out more than walked (999 to 903).
Rickey Henderson vs David Justice: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Rickey Henderson or David Justice?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rickey Henderson leads David Justice in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Rickey Henderson or David Justice hit more home runs?
- David Justice, with 305 to Rickey Henderson's 297.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- David Justice, with .878 to Rickey Henderson's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Neither — both are at .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Rickey Henderson, with 3,055 to David Justice's 1,571.