Frank Howard vs Rusty Staub: Career Stats Comparison
Frank Howard (1958–1973) and Rusty Staub (1963–1985) — 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; Rusty Staub finished with 2,716 hits and 292 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Frank Howard
Rusty Staub
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Frank Howard and Rusty Staub. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Frank Howard | Rusty Staub |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,895 | 2,951 |
| At-Bats | 6,488 | 9,720 |
| Runs | 864 | 1,189 |
| Hits | 1,774 | 2,716 |
| Doubles | 245 | 499 |
| Triples | 35 | 47 |
| Home Runs | 382 | 292 |
| RBI | 1,119 | 1,466 |
| Walks | 782 | 1,255 |
| Strikeouts | 1,460 | 888 |
| Stolen Bases | 8 | 47 |
| Batting Avg | .273 | .279 |
| On-Base % | .352 | .362 |
| Slugging % | .499 | .431 |
| OPS | .851 | .793 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rusty Staub edges Frank Howard 30,346 to 30,024 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,264 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
Rusty Staub — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rusty Staub leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Frank Howard owns home runs and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rusty Staub. PIV agrees: Rusty Staub grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.