Rickey Henderson vs Dave Righetti: Career Stats Comparison
Rickey Henderson and Dave Righetti played different roles, so their careers are compared side by side rather than scored against each other. Rickey Henderson played 1979–2003 as a hitter; Dave Righetti played 1979–1995 as a pitcher.
- 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 Dave Righetti (1979–1995) played opposite sides of the ball, so there is no honest category-by-category scoreboard for this matchup. Dave Righetti pitched, totalling 82 wins and 1,112 strikeouts; Rickey Henderson hit, totalling 3,055 hits and 297 home runs. Each career is shown below in its own discipline, with PIV as the one measure that spans both roles.
Quick answer
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rickey Henderson, with 37,642 career PIV to Dave Righetti's 20,202.
- Who won more championships? Rickey Henderson, with 2 World Series titles to Dave Righetti's 0.
Rickey Henderson
Dave Righetti
Career Stats, Each in His Own Role
Dave Righetti is shown on pitching lines and Rickey Henderson on batting lines. Nothing is marked as a category winner, because these two cards measure different jobs — reading them cell against cell would tell you nothing.
Rickey Henderson — Hitter
| Statistic | Rickey Henderson |
|---|---|
| Games | 3,081 |
| At-Bats | 10,961 |
| Runs | 2,295 |
| Hits | 3,055 |
| Doubles | 510 |
| Triples | 66 |
| Home Runs | 297 |
| RBI | 1,115 |
| Walks | 2,190 |
| Strikeouts | 1,694 |
| Stolen Bases | 1,406 |
| Batting Avg | .279 |
| On-Base % | .401 |
| Slugging % | .419 |
| OPS | .820 |
Dave Righetti — Pitcher
| Statistic | Dave Righetti |
|---|---|
| Wins | 82 |
| Losses | 79 |
| Games | 718 |
| Games Started | 89 |
| Complete Games | 13 |
| Shutouts | 2 |
| Saves | 252 |
| Strikeouts | 1,112 |
| Walks | 591 |
| Hits Allowed | 1,287 |
| Home Runs Allowed | 95 |
| Innings Pitched | 1,403.2 |
| ERA | 3.46 |
| WHIP | 1.34 |
| K/9 | 7.13 |
| BB/9 | 3.79 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
Rickey Henderson carries a career batting PIV of 37,642; Dave Righetti carries a career pitching PIV of 20,202. Rickey Henderson is the higher of the two at 37,642 to 20,202. Both figures adjust each season to league baselines, but batting PIV and pitching PIV are calibrated separately — so read this as a directional comparison of career impact, not a settled verdict.
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 within his own role — ERA for the pitcher (120+ innings), OPS for the hitter (300+ at-bats).
Rickey Henderson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Dave Righetti — top 2 seasons by ERA (lower is better)
Verdict
There is no head-to-head scoreboard for Dave Righetti and Rickey Henderson: one pitched and one hit, and no counting stat means the same thing on both cards. On PIV — the one metric that scores both roles against league baselines — Rickey Henderson grades higher, 37,642 to 20,202. Because the batting and pitching versions of PIV are calibrated separately, that gap is a directional signal about career impact rather than a ruling on who was the better ballplayer. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Rickey Henderson and Dave Righetti careers compare
The careers of Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) and Dave Righetti (1979–1995) overlapped from 1979 to 1995, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. As a hitter, Rickey Henderson collected 3,055 hits and 297 home runs with a .820 OPS. Dave Righetti's pitching card shows 82 wins, a 3.46 ERA and 1,112 strikeouts. No single table can grade a pitcher against a hitter, so each career is shown in its own discipline, with PIV as the common scale. Their best seasons are measured differently, 1.023 OPS in 1993 for Rickey Henderson and 3.44 ERA in 1983 for Dave Righetti.
Rickey Henderson vs Dave Righetti: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who has the higher career PIV?
- Rickey Henderson, with 37,642 career PIV to Dave Righetti's 20,202.
- Who won more championships?
- Rickey Henderson, with 2 World Series titles to Dave Righetti's 0.
- How do Rickey Henderson and Dave Righetti compare?
- Rickey Henderson played 1979–2003 and Dave Righetti played 1979–1995; this page sets their career totals side by side in every category both accumulated.