Rickey Henderson vs Pete Rose: Career Stats Comparison
Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) and Pete Rose (1963–1986) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Rickey Henderson finished with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs; Pete Rose finished with 4,256 hits and 160 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Rickey Henderson
Pete Rose
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rickey Henderson and Pete Rose. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Rickey Henderson | Pete Rose |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,081 | 3,562 |
| At-Bats | 10,961 | 14,053 |
| Runs | 2,295 | 2,165 |
| Hits | 3,055 | 4,256 |
| Doubles | 510 | 746 |
| Triples | 66 | 135 |
| Home Runs | 297 | 160 |
| RBI | 1,115 | 1,314 |
| Walks | 2,190 | 1,566 |
| Strikeouts | 1,694 | 1,143 |
| Stolen Bases | 1,406 | 198 |
| Batting Avg | .279 | .303 |
| On-Base % | .401 | .375 |
| Slugging % | .419 | .409 |
| OPS | .820 | .784 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Pete Rose edges Rickey Henderson 40,772 to 37,642 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,631 vs 1,298 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
Pete Rose — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rickey Henderson leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and OBP, while Pete Rose owns hits, RBI, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rickey Henderson. Note that PIV actually grades Pete Rose ahead, which means Rickey Henderson's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.