Frank Howard vs Ralph Kiner: Career Stats Comparison
Frank Howard (1958–1973) and Ralph Kiner (1946–1955) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Frank Howard finished with 1,774 hits and 382 home runs; Ralph Kiner finished with 1,451 hits and 369 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Frank Howard
Ralph Kiner
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Frank Howard and Ralph Kiner. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Frank Howard | Ralph Kiner |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,895 | 1,472 |
| At-Bats | 6,488 | 5,205 |
| Runs | 864 | 971 |
| Hits | 1,774 | 1,451 |
| Doubles | 245 | 216 |
| Triples | 35 | 39 |
| Home Runs | 382 | 369 |
| RBI | 1,119 | 1,015 |
| Walks | 782 | 1,011 |
| Strikeouts | 1,460 | 749 |
| Stolen Bases | 8 | 22 |
| Batting Avg | .273 | .279 |
| On-Base % | .352 | .398 |
| Slugging % | .499 | .548 |
| OPS | .851 | .946 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ralph Kiner leads Frank Howard 35,424 to 30,024 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,220 vs 1,766 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).
Frank Howard — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ralph Kiner — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ralph Kiner leads in runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Frank Howard owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ralph Kiner. PIV agrees: Ralph Kiner grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.