Rickey Henderson vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison
Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) and Jim Rice (1974–1989) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Rickey Henderson finished with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs; Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Rickey Henderson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Rickey Henderson | Jim Rice |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,081 | 2,089 |
| At-Bats | 10,961 | 8,225 |
| Runs | 2,295 | 1,249 |
| Hits | 3,055 | 2,452 |
| Doubles | 510 | 373 |
| Triples | 66 | 79 |
| Home Runs | 297 | 382 |
| RBI | 1,115 | 1,451 |
| Walks | 2,190 | 670 |
| Strikeouts | 1,694 | 1,423 |
| Stolen Bases | 1,406 | 58 |
| Batting Avg | .279 | .298 |
| On-Base % | .401 | .352 |
| Slugging % | .419 | .502 |
| OPS | .820 | .854 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rickey Henderson leads Jim Rice 37,642 to 31,418 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,298 vs 1,964 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Jim Rice — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rickey Henderson leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and OBP, while Jim Rice owns home runs, RBI, and batting average. 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.