Matt Holliday vs Larry Walker: Career Stats Comparison

Larry Walker has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Matt Holliday played 2004–2018 as a hitter; Larry Walker played 1989–2005 as a hitter.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

Matt Holliday (2004–2018) and Larry Walker (1989–2005) — they broke in during the 2000s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Matt Holliday finished with 2,096 hits and 316 home runs; Larry Walker finished with 2,160 hits and 383 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Larry Walker, with 383 to Matt Holliday's 316.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Larry Walker, with .965 to Matt Holliday's .889.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Larry Walker, with .313 to Matt Holliday's .299.
  • Who had more hits? Larry Walker, with 2,160 to Matt Holliday's 2,096.
  • Who drove in more runs? Larry Walker, with 1,311 to Matt Holliday's 1,220.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Larry Walker, with 42,378 career PIV to Matt Holliday's 30,426.
  • Who won more championships? Matt Holliday, with 1 World Series title to Larry Walker's 0.
Leads Larry Walker 13 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Larry Walker +11,952
Read the verdict ↓

Matt Holliday

Hitter · 2004–2018
Games
1,903
Hits
2,096
Home Runs
316
RBI
1,220
Avg
.299
OPS
.889
View Matt Holliday's full profile →

Larry Walker

Hitter · 1989–2005
Games
1,988
Hits
2,160
Home Runs
383
RBI
1,311
Avg
.313
OPS
.965
View Larry Walker's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Matt Holliday and Larry Walker. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 2000s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Matt Holliday vs Larry Walker: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Matt Holliday Larry Walker
Games 1,903 Leads: 1,988
At-Bats Leads: 7,009 6,907
Runs 1,157 Leads: 1,355
Hits 2,096 Leads: 2,160
Doubles 468 Leads: 471
Triples 32 Leads: 62
Home Runs 316 Leads: 383
RBI 1,220 Leads: 1,311
Walks 802 Leads: 913
Strikeouts not scored 1,362 1,231
Stolen Bases 108 Leads: 230
Batting Avg .299 Leads: .313
On-Base % .379 Leads: .400
Slugging % .510 Leads: .565
OPS .889 Leads: .965

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Larry Walker outpaces Matt Holliday 42,378 to 30,426 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,354 PIV per season to 1,902, across 18 seasons to 16. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.

Matt Holliday
30,426
Career PIV · 1,902 per season (16 seasons)
Larry Walker
42,378
Career PIV · 2,354 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Matt Holliday — top 3 seasons by OPS

20071.012 OPS36 HR, 137 RBI, .340 avg
2006.973 OPS34 HR, 114 RBI, .326 avg
2008.947 OPS25 HR, 88 RBI, .321 avg

Larry Walker — top 3 seasons by OPS

19971.172 OPS49 HR, 130 RBI, .366 avg
19991.168 OPS37 HR, 115 RBI, .379 avg
20011.111 OPS38 HR, 123 RBI, .350 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Larry Walker leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Matt Holliday owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Larry Walker. PIV agrees: Larry Walker grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Matt Holliday and Larry Walker careers compare

From 2004 through 2005, Matt Holliday and Larry Walker were in the majors together. The two careers are close in length, 1,903 games for Matt Holliday and 1,988 for Larry Walker across 16 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Matt Holliday are at-bats (7,009 to 6,907). At the plate, Matt Holliday struck out more than walked (1,362 to 802), and Larry Walker struck out more than walked (1,231 to 913). Larry Walker was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Larry Walker holds the edge, .565 to .510.

Matt Holliday vs Larry Walker: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Matt Holliday or Larry Walker?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Larry Walker leads Matt Holliday in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Matt Holliday or Larry Walker hit more home runs?
Larry Walker, with 383 to Matt Holliday's 316.
Who had the higher OPS?
Larry Walker, with .965 to Matt Holliday's .889.
Who had the higher batting average?
Larry Walker, with .313 to Matt Holliday's .299.
Who had more hits?
Larry Walker, with 2,160 to Matt Holliday's 2,096.

See These Players in Another Era