Frank Howard vs Reggie Smith: Career Stats Comparison
Frank Howard (1958–1973) and Reggie Smith (1966–1982) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Frank Howard finished with 1,774 hits and 382 home runs; Reggie Smith finished with 2,020 hits and 314 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Frank Howard
Reggie Smith
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Frank Howard and Reggie Smith. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Frank Howard | Reggie Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,895 | 1,987 |
| At-Bats | 6,488 | 7,033 |
| Runs | 864 | 1,123 |
| Hits | 1,774 | 2,020 |
| Doubles | 245 | 363 |
| Triples | 35 | 57 |
| Home Runs | 382 | 314 |
| RBI | 1,119 | 1,092 |
| Walks | 782 | 890 |
| Strikeouts | 1,460 | 1,030 |
| Stolen Bases | 8 | 137 |
| Batting Avg | .273 | .287 |
| On-Base % | .352 | .366 |
| Slugging % | .499 | .489 |
| OPS | .851 | .855 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Reggie Smith edges Frank Howard 32,131 to 30,024 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,785 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
Reggie Smith — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Reggie Smith leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Frank Howard owns home runs and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Reggie Smith. PIV agrees: Reggie Smith grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.