Frank Howard vs Dave Winfield: Career Stats Comparison

Frank Howard (1958–1973) and Dave Winfield (1973–1995) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Frank Howard finished with 1,774 hits and 382 home runs; Dave Winfield finished with 3,110 hits and 465 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Frank Howard

Hitter · 1958–1973
Games
1,895
Hits
1,774
Home Runs
382
RBI
1,119
Avg
.273
OPS
.851
View Frank Howard's full profile →

Dave Winfield

Hitter · 1973–1995
Games
2,973
Hits
3,110
Home Runs
465
RBI
1,833
Avg
.283
OPS
.827
View Dave Winfield's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Frank Howard and Dave Winfield. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Frank Howard Dave Winfield
Games 1,895 2,973
At-Bats 6,488 11,003
Runs 864 1,669
Hits 1,774 3,110
Doubles 245 540
Triples 35 88
Home Runs 382 465
RBI 1,119 1,833
Walks 782 1,216
Strikeouts 1,460 1,686
Stolen Bases 8 223
Batting Avg .273 .283
On-Base % .352 .353
Slugging % .499 .475
OPS .851 .827

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dave Winfield leads Frank Howard 34,842 to 30,024 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,515 vs 1,766 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Frank Howard
30,024
Career PIV · 1,766 per season (17 seasons)
Dave Winfield
34,842
Career PIV · 1,515 per season (23 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1969.976 OPS48 HR, 111 RBI, .296 avg
1970.962 OPS44 HR, 126 RBI, .283 avg
1962.906 OPS31 HR, 119 RBI, .296 avg

Dave Winfield — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.953 OPS34 HR, 118 RBI, .308 avg
1988.927 OPS25 HR, 107 RBI, .322 avg
1984.908 OPS19 HR, 100 RBI, .340 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Dave Winfield leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Frank Howard owns OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Dave Winfield. PIV agrees: Dave Winfield grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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