Rickey Henderson vs Ben Zobrist: Career Stats Comparison
Rickey Henderson has the better career line of the two, leading 13 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; Ben Zobrist played 2006–2019 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 Ben Zobrist (2006–2019) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Rickey Henderson finished with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs; Ben Zobrist finished with 1,566 hits and 167 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Rickey Henderson, with 297 to Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS? Rickey Henderson, with .820 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average? Rickey Henderson, with .279 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits? Rickey Henderson, with 3,055 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.
- Who drove in more runs? Rickey Henderson, with 1,115 to Ben Zobrist's 768.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Rickey Henderson, with 37,642 career PIV to Ben Zobrist's 10,712.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 2 World Series titles.
Rickey Henderson
Ben Zobrist
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rickey Henderson and Ben Zobrist. 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 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Rickey Henderson | Ben Zobrist |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,081 | 1,651 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,961 | 5,880 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,295 | 884 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,055 | 1,566 |
| Doubles | Leads: 510 | 349 |
| Triples | Leads: 66 | 44 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 297 | 167 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,115 | 768 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,190 | 832 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,694 | 994 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 1,406 | 116 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .279 | .266 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .401 | .357 |
| Slugging % | .419 | Leads: .426 |
| OPS | Leads: .820 | .783 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rickey Henderson outpaces Ben Zobrist 37,642 to 10,712 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,298 PIV per season to 714, across 29 seasons to 15. 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
Ben Zobrist — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rickey Henderson leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ben Zobrist owns no headline categories. 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 Ben Zobrist careers compare
Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) was finished before Ben Zobrist (2006–2019) arrived, so they never shared a league. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Rickey Henderson appeared in 3,081 games to Ben Zobrist's 1,651. Ben Zobrist's edges on the table are slugging percentage (.426 to .419). At the plate, Rickey Henderson walked more often than struck out (2,190 walks, 1,694 strikeouts), while Ben Zobrist struck out more than walked (994 to 832). On the bases, Rickey Henderson stole more often per game played (1,406 steals in 3,081 games for Rickey Henderson, 116 in 1,651 for Ben Zobrist).
Rickey Henderson vs Ben Zobrist: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Rickey Henderson or Ben Zobrist?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Rickey Henderson leads Ben Zobrist in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Rickey Henderson or Ben Zobrist hit more home runs?
- Rickey Henderson, with 297 to Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Rickey Henderson, with .820 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Rickey Henderson, with .279 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Rickey Henderson, with 3,055 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.