Keith Hernandez vs Boog Powell: Career Stats Comparison

Keith Hernandez (1974–1990) and Boog Powell (1961–1977) — 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; Boog Powell finished with 1,776 hits and 339 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 →

Boog Powell

Hitter · 1961–1977
Games
2,042
Hits
1,776
Home Runs
339
RBI
1,187
Avg
.266
OPS
.822
View Boog Powell's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Keith Hernandez Boog Powell
Games 2,088 2,042
At-Bats 7,370 6,681
Runs 1,124 889
Hits 2,182 1,776
Doubles 426 270
Triples 60 11
Home Runs 162 339
RBI 1,071 1,187
Walks 1,070 1,001
Strikeouts 1,012 1,226
Stolen Bases 98 20
Batting Avg .296 .266
On-Base % .384 .361
Slugging % .436 .462
OPS .821 .822

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Boog Powell leads Keith Hernandez 27,626 to 25,249 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,625 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)
Boog Powell
27,626
Career PIV · 1,625 per season (17 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

Boog Powell — top 3 seasons by OPS

19641.005 OPS39 HR, 99 RBI, .290 avg
1970.962 OPS35 HR, 114 RBI, .297 avg
1969.942 OPS37 HR, 121 RBI, .304 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Keith Hernandez leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Boog Powell owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Keith Hernandez. Note that PIV actually grades Boog Powell ahead, which means Keith Hernandez's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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