Keith Hernandez vs Ted Simmons: Career Stats Comparison

Keith Hernandez (1974–1990) and Ted Simmons (1968–1988) — 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; Ted Simmons finished with 2,472 hits and 248 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 →

Ted Simmons

Hitter · 1968–1988
Games
2,456
Hits
2,472
Home Runs
248
RBI
1,389
Avg
.285
OPS
.785
View Ted Simmons's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Keith Hernandez Ted Simmons
Games 2,088 2,456
At-Bats 7,370 8,680
Runs 1,124 1,074
Hits 2,182 2,472
Doubles 426 483
Triples 60 47
Home Runs 162 248
RBI 1,071 1,389
Walks 1,070 855
Strikeouts 1,012 694
Stolen Bases 98 21
Batting Avg .296 .285
On-Base % .384 .348
Slugging % .436 .437
OPS .821 .785

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Keith Hernandez leads Ted Simmons 25,249 to 20,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,403 vs 959 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)
Ted Simmons
20,131
Career PIV · 959 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

Ted Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS

1977.908 OPS21 HR, 95 RBI, .318 avg
1978.889 OPS22 HR, 80 RBI, .287 avg
1975.887 OPS18 HR, 100 RBI, .332 avg

Verdict

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

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