Ryan Howard vs Jim Thome: Career Stats Comparison
Jim Thome has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Ryan Howard played 2004–2016 as a hitter; Jim Thome played 1991–2012 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Ryan Howard (2004–2016) and Jim Thome (1991–2012) — they broke in during the 2000s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ryan Howard finished with 1,475 hits and 382 home runs; Jim Thome finished with 2,328 hits and 612 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Jim Thome, with 612 to Ryan Howard's 382.
- Who had the higher OPS? Jim Thome, with .956 to Ryan Howard's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Jim Thome, with .276 to Ryan Howard's .258.
- Who had more hits? Jim Thome, with 2,328 to Ryan Howard's 1,475.
- Who drove in more runs? Jim Thome, with 1,699 to Ryan Howard's 1,194.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Jim Thome, with 51,664 career PIV to Ryan Howard's 19,167.
- Who won more championships? Ryan Howard, with 1 World Series title to Jim Thome's 0.
Ryan Howard
Jim Thome
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ryan Howard and Jim Thome. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 2000s and the 1990s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ryan Howard | Jim Thome |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,572 | Leads: 2,543 |
| At-Bats | 5,707 | Leads: 8,422 |
| Runs | 848 | Leads: 1,583 |
| Hits | 1,475 | Leads: 2,328 |
| Doubles | 277 | Leads: 451 |
| Triples | 21 | Leads: 26 |
| Home Runs | 382 | Leads: 612 |
| RBI | 1,194 | Leads: 1,699 |
| Walks | 709 | Leads: 1,747 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,843 | 2,548 |
| Stolen Bases | 12 | Leads: 19 |
| Batting Avg | .258 | Leads: .276 |
| On-Base % | .343 | Leads: .402 |
| Slugging % | .515 | Leads: .554 |
| OPS | .859 | Leads: .956 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Thome outpaces Ryan Howard 51,664 to 19,167 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,067 PIV per season to 1,474, across 25 seasons to 13. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Ryan Howard — top 3 seasons by OPS
Jim Thome — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jim Thome leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ryan Howard owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Thome. PIV agrees: Jim Thome grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ryan Howard and Jim Thome careers compare
The careers of Ryan Howard (2004–2016) and Jim Thome (1991–2012) overlapped from 2004 to 2012, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The table compares 1,572 games of Ryan Howard with 2,543 of Jim Thome across 13 and 25 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Jim Thome leads every scored row of the table. Ryan Howard struck out more than walked (1,843 to 709); Jim Thome struck out more than walked (2,548 to 1,747). In slugging percentage, Jim Thome holds the edge, .554 to .515.
Ryan Howard vs Jim Thome: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ryan Howard or Jim Thome?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Jim Thome leads Ryan Howard in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ryan Howard or Jim Thome hit more home runs?
- Jim Thome, with 612 to Ryan Howard's 382.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Jim Thome, with .956 to Ryan Howard's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Jim Thome, with .276 to Ryan Howard's .258.
- Who had more hits?
- Jim Thome, with 2,328 to Ryan Howard's 1,475.