Frank Howard vs Mickey Mantle: Career Stats Comparison
Frank Howard (1958–1973) and Mickey Mantle (1951–1968) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Frank Howard finished with 1,774 hits and 382 home runs; Mickey Mantle finished with 2,415 hits and 536 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Frank Howard
Mickey Mantle
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Frank Howard and Mickey Mantle. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Frank Howard | Mickey Mantle |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,895 | 2,401 |
| At-Bats | 6,488 | 8,102 |
| Runs | 864 | 1,677 |
| Hits | 1,774 | 2,415 |
| Doubles | 245 | 344 |
| Triples | 35 | 72 |
| Home Runs | 382 | 536 |
| RBI | 1,119 | 1,509 |
| Walks | 782 | 1,733 |
| Strikeouts | 1,460 | 1,710 |
| Stolen Bases | 8 | 153 |
| Batting Avg | .273 | .298 |
| On-Base % | .352 | .421 |
| Slugging % | .499 | .557 |
| OPS | .851 | .977 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mickey Mantle outpaces Frank Howard 67,905 to 30,024 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,773 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
Mickey Mantle — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Mickey Mantle leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Frank Howard owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Mickey Mantle. PIV agrees: Mickey Mantle grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.