Keith Hernandez vs John Olerud: Career Stats Comparison
Keith Hernandez (1974–1990) and John Olerud (1989–2005) — 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; John Olerud finished with 2,239 hits and 255 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Keith Hernandez
John Olerud
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Keith Hernandez and John Olerud. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Keith Hernandez | John Olerud |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,088 | 2,234 |
| At-Bats | 7,370 | 7,592 |
| Runs | 1,124 | 1,139 |
| Hits | 2,182 | 2,239 |
| Doubles | 426 | 500 |
| Triples | 60 | 13 |
| Home Runs | 162 | 255 |
| RBI | 1,071 | 1,230 |
| Walks | 1,070 | 1,275 |
| Strikeouts | 1,012 | 1,016 |
| Stolen Bases | 98 | 11 |
| Batting Avg | .296 | .295 |
| On-Base % | .384 | .398 |
| Slugging % | .436 | .465 |
| OPS | .821 | .863 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), John Olerud leads Keith Hernandez 28,281 to 25,249 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,571 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
John Olerud — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, John Olerud leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Keith Hernandez owns stolen bases and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to John Olerud. PIV agrees: John Olerud grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.