Reggie Jackson vs Fred Lynn: Career Stats Comparison

Reggie Jackson has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Reggie Jackson played 1967–1987 as a hitter; Fred Lynn played 1974–1990 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

Reggie Jackson (1967–1987) and Fred Lynn (1974–1990) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Reggie Jackson finished with 2,584 hits and 563 home runs; Fred Lynn finished with 1,960 hits and 306 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Reggie Jackson, with 563 to Fred Lynn's 306.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Reggie Jackson, with .846 to Fred Lynn's .845.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Fred Lynn, with .283 to Reggie Jackson's .262.
  • Who had more hits? Reggie Jackson, with 2,584 to Fred Lynn's 1,960.
  • Who drove in more runs? Reggie Jackson, with 1,702 to Fred Lynn's 1,111.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Reggie Jackson, with 41,801 career PIV to Fred Lynn's 25,648.
  • Who won more championships? Reggie Jackson, with 5 World Series titles to Fred Lynn's 0.
Leads Reggie Jackson 12 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Reggie Jackson +16,153
Read the verdict ↓

Reggie Jackson

Hitter · 1967–1987
Games
2,820
Hits
2,584
Home Runs
563
RBI
1,702
Avg
.262
OPS
.846
View Reggie Jackson's full profile →

Fred Lynn

Hitter · 1974–1990
Games
1,969
Hits
1,960
Home Runs
306
RBI
1,111
Avg
.283
OPS
.845
View Fred Lynn's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn. 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 1960s and the 1970s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Reggie Jackson vs Fred Lynn: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Reggie Jackson Fred Lynn
Games Leads: 2,820 1,969
At-Bats Leads: 9,864 6,925
Runs Leads: 1,551 1,063
Hits Leads: 2,584 1,960
Doubles Leads: 463 388
Triples Leads: 49 43
Home Runs Leads: 563 306
RBI Leads: 1,702 1,111
Walks Leads: 1,375 857
Strikeouts not scored 2,597 1,116
Stolen Bases Leads: 228 72
Batting Avg .262 Leads: .283
On-Base % .356 Leads: .360
Slugging % Leads: .490 .484
OPS Leads: .846 .845

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Reggie Jackson outpaces Fred Lynn 41,801 to 25,648 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,991 PIV per season to 1,425, across 21 seasons to 18. 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.

Reggie Jackson
41,801
Career PIV · 1,991 per season (21 seasons)
Fred Lynn
25,648
Career PIV · 1,425 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Reggie Jackson — top 3 seasons by OPS

19691.018 OPS47 HR, 118 RBI, .275 avg
1980.995 OPS41 HR, 111 RBI, .300 avg
1979.926 OPS29 HR, 89 RBI, .297 avg

Fred Lynn — top 3 seasons by OPS

19791.059 OPS39 HR, 122 RBI, .333 avg
1975.967 OPS21 HR, 105 RBI, .331 avg
1982.891 OPS21 HR, 86 RBI, .299 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

How the Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn careers compare

Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn were active at the same time between 1974 and 1987. With 2,820 games against 1,969 across 21 and 18 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Fred Lynn are batting average (.283 to .262) and on-base percentage (.360 to .356). Reggie Jackson struck out more than walked (2,597 to 1,375); Fred Lynn struck out more than walked (1,116 to 857). Home runs make up a larger share of Reggie Jackson's hits: 563 of 2,584 for Reggie Jackson, 306 of 1,960 for Fred Lynn.

Reggie Jackson vs Fred Lynn: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Reggie Jackson or Fred Lynn?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Reggie Jackson leads Fred Lynn in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Reggie Jackson or Fred Lynn hit more home runs?
Reggie Jackson, with 563 to Fred Lynn's 306.
Who had the higher OPS?
Reggie Jackson, with .846 to Fred Lynn's .845.
Who had the higher batting average?
Fred Lynn, with .283 to Reggie Jackson's .262.
Who had more hits?
Reggie Jackson, with 2,584 to Fred Lynn's 1,960.

See These Players in Another Era