Rickey Henderson vs Dave Winfield: Career Stats Comparison

Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) and Dave Winfield (1973–1995) — 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; Dave Winfield finished with 3,110 hits and 465 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Rickey Henderson

Hitter · 1979–2003
Games
3,081
Hits
3,055
Home Runs
297
RBI
1,115
Avg
.279
OPS
.820
View Rickey Henderson's full profile →

Dave Winfield

Hitter · 1973–1995
Games
2,973
Hits
3,110
Home Runs
465
RBI
1,833
Avg
.283
OPS
.827
View Dave Winfield's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rickey Henderson and Dave Winfield. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Rickey Henderson Dave Winfield
Games 3,081 2,973
At-Bats 10,961 11,003
Runs 2,295 1,669
Hits 3,055 3,110
Doubles 510 540
Triples 66 88
Home Runs 297 465
RBI 1,115 1,833
Walks 2,190 1,216
Strikeouts 1,694 1,686
Stolen Bases 1,406 223
Batting Avg .279 .283
On-Base % .401 .353
Slugging % .419 .475
OPS .820 .827

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rickey Henderson edges Dave Winfield 37,642 to 34,842 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,298 vs 1,515 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Rickey Henderson
37,642
Career PIV · 1,298 per season (29 seasons)
Dave Winfield
34,842
Career PIV · 1,515 per season (23 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

19931.023 OPS17 HR, 47 RBI, .327 avg
19901.016 OPS28 HR, 61 RBI, .325 avg
1985.934 OPS24 HR, 72 RBI, .314 avg

Dave Winfield — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.953 OPS34 HR, 118 RBI, .308 avg
1988.927 OPS25 HR, 107 RBI, .322 avg
1984.908 OPS19 HR, 100 RBI, .340 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Dave Winfield leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average, while Rickey Henderson owns runs, stolen bases, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Dave Winfield. Note that PIV actually grades Rickey Henderson ahead, which means Dave Winfield's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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