Keith Hernandez vs Fred McGriff: Career Stats Comparison

Keith Hernandez (1974–1990) and Fred McGriff (1986–2004) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Keith Hernandez finished with 2,182 hits and 162 home runs; Fred McGriff finished with 2,490 hits and 493 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Keith Hernandez

Hitter · 1974–1990
Games
2,088
Hits
2,182
Home Runs
162
RBI
1,071
Avg
.296
OPS
.821
View Keith Hernandez's full profile →

Fred McGriff

Hitter · 1986–2004
Games
2,460
Hits
2,490
Home Runs
493
RBI
1,550
Avg
.284
OPS
.886
View Fred McGriff's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Keith Hernandez and Fred McGriff. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Keith Hernandez Fred McGriff
Games 2,088 2,460
At-Bats 7,370 8,757
Runs 1,124 1,349
Hits 2,182 2,490
Doubles 426 441
Triples 60 24
Home Runs 162 493
RBI 1,071 1,550
Walks 1,070 1,305
Strikeouts 1,012 1,882
Stolen Bases 98 72
Batting Avg .296 .284
On-Base % .384 .377
Slugging % .436 .509
OPS .821 .886

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Fred McGriff outpaces Keith Hernandez 37,233 to 25,249 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,773 vs 1,403 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Keith Hernandez
25,249
Career PIV · 1,403 per season (18 seasons)
Fred McGriff
37,233
Career PIV · 1,773 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Keith Hernandez — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.930 OPS11 HR, 105 RBI, .344 avg
1980.902 OPS16 HR, 99 RBI, .321 avg
1981.864 OPS8 HR, 48 RBI, .306 avg

Fred McGriff — top 3 seasons by OPS

19941.012 OPS34 HR, 94 RBI, .318 avg
1999.957 OPS32 HR, 104 RBI, .310 avg
1992.950 OPS35 HR, 104 RBI, .286 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Fred McGriff leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Keith Hernandez owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Fred McGriff. PIV agrees: Fred McGriff grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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