Kent Hrbek vs Fred McGriff: Career Stats Comparison

Kent Hrbek (1981–1994) and Fred McGriff (1986–2004) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Kent Hrbek finished with 1,749 hits and 293 home runs; Fred McGriff finished with 2,490 hits and 493 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Kent Hrbek

Hitter · 1981–1994
Games
1,747
Hits
1,749
Home Runs
293
RBI
1,086
Avg
.282
OPS
.848
View Kent Hrbek's full profile →

Fred McGriff

Hitter · 1986–2004
Games
2,460
Hits
2,490
Home Runs
493
RBI
1,550
Avg
.284
OPS
.886
View Fred McGriff's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Kent Hrbek and Fred McGriff. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Kent Hrbek Fred McGriff
Games 1,747 2,460
At-Bats 6,192 8,757
Runs 903 1,349
Hits 1,749 2,490
Doubles 312 441
Triples 18 24
Home Runs 293 493
RBI 1,086 1,550
Walks 838 1,305
Strikeouts 798 1,882
Stolen Bases 37 72
Batting Avg .282 .284
On-Base % .367 .377
Slugging % .481 .509
OPS .848 .886

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Fred McGriff outpaces Kent Hrbek 37,233 to 23,751 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,773 vs 1,696 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Kent Hrbek
23,751
Career PIV · 1,696 per season (14 seasons)
Fred McGriff
37,233
Career PIV · 1,773 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Kent Hrbek — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.934 OPS34 HR, 90 RBI, .285 avg
1988.907 OPS25 HR, 76 RBI, .312 avg
1984.906 OPS27 HR, 107 RBI, .311 avg

Fred McGriff — top 3 seasons by OPS

19941.012 OPS34 HR, 94 RBI, .318 avg
1999.957 OPS32 HR, 104 RBI, .310 avg
1992.950 OPS35 HR, 104 RBI, .286 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Fred McGriff leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Kent Hrbek owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Fred McGriff. PIV agrees: Fred McGriff grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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