Keith Hernandez vs Mark McGwire: Career Stats Comparison
Keith Hernandez (1974–1990) and Mark McGwire (1986–2001) — 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; Mark McGwire finished with 1,626 hits and 583 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Keith Hernandez
Mark McGwire
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Keith Hernandez and Mark McGwire. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Keith Hernandez | Mark McGwire |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,088 | 1,874 |
| At-Bats | 7,370 | 6,187 |
| Runs | 1,124 | 1,167 |
| Hits | 2,182 | 1,626 |
| Doubles | 426 | 252 |
| Triples | 60 | 6 |
| Home Runs | 162 | 583 |
| RBI | 1,071 | 1,414 |
| Walks | 1,070 | 1,317 |
| Strikeouts | 1,012 | 1,596 |
| Stolen Bases | 98 | 12 |
| Batting Avg | .296 | .263 |
| On-Base % | .384 | .394 |
| Slugging % | .436 | .588 |
| OPS | .821 | .982 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mark McGwire outpaces Keith Hernandez 44,531 to 25,249 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,620 vs 1,403 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).
Keith Hernandez — top 3 seasons by OPS
Mark McGwire — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Mark McGwire leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and OBP, while Keith Hernandez owns hits, stolen bases, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Mark McGwire. PIV agrees: Mark McGwire grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.