Keith Hernandez vs Tony Perez: Career Stats Comparison

Keith Hernandez (1974–1990) and Tony Perez (1964–1986) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Keith Hernandez finished with 2,182 hits and 162 home runs; Tony Perez finished with 2,732 hits and 379 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 →

Tony Perez

Hitter · 1964–1986
Games
2,777
Hits
2,732
Home Runs
379
RBI
1,652
Avg
.279
OPS
.804
View Tony Perez's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Keith Hernandez Tony Perez
Games 2,088 2,777
At-Bats 7,370 9,778
Runs 1,124 1,272
Hits 2,182 2,732
Doubles 426 505
Triples 60 79
Home Runs 162 379
RBI 1,071 1,652
Walks 1,070 925
Strikeouts 1,012 1,867
Stolen Bases 98 49
Batting Avg .296 .279
On-Base % .384 .341
Slugging % .436 .463
OPS .821 .804

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tony Perez leads Keith Hernandez 28,896 to 25,249 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,256 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)
Tony Perez
28,896
Career PIV · 1,256 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).

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

Tony Perez — top 3 seasons by OPS

1970.990 OPS40 HR, 129 RBI, .317 avg
1973.919 OPS27 HR, 101 RBI, .314 avg
1969.883 OPS37 HR, 122 RBI, .294 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Tony Perez 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 Tony Perez. PIV agrees: Tony Perez grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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