Craig Kimbrel vs Dan Quisenberry: Career Stats Comparison

Craig Kimbrel has the better career line of the two, leading 7 of the 12 scored categories on this page (4 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Craig Kimbrel has played 2010–present as a pitcher; Dan Quisenberry played 1979–1990 as a pitcher.

ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

Craig Kimbrel (2010–present) and Dan Quisenberry (1979–1990) — breaking in during the 2010s and the 1970s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Craig Kimbrel has 57 wins and 1,322 strikeouts through October 12, 2026; Dan Quisenberry finished with 56 wins and 379 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Quick answer

  • Who had the better ERA? Craig Kimbrel, with 2.69 to Dan Quisenberry's 2.76.
  • Who won more games? Craig Kimbrel, with 57 to Dan Quisenberry's 56.
  • Who recorded more strikeouts? Craig Kimbrel, with 1,322 to Dan Quisenberry's 379.
  • Who had the better WHIP? Craig Kimbrel, with 1.04 to Dan Quisenberry's 1.18.
  • Who pitched more innings? Dan Quisenberry, with 1,043.1 to Craig Kimbrel's 867.2.
  • Who threw more shutouts? Neither — both are at 0.
  • Who has the higher career Pitcher PIV? Craig Kimbrel, with 30,862 career Pitcher PIV to Dan Quisenberry's 16,859.
Leads Craig Kimbrel 7 of 12 scored categories (3 tied)
Pitcher PIV edge Craig Kimbrel +14,003
Read the verdict ↓

Craig Kimbrel

Pitcher · 2010–present
Wins
57
Losses
53
Strikeouts
1,322
ERA
2.69
WHIP
1.04
IP
867.2
View Craig Kimbrel's full profile →

Dan Quisenberry

Pitcher · 1979–1990
Wins
56
Losses
46
Strikeouts
379
ERA
2.76
WHIP
1.18
IP
1,043.1
View Dan Quisenberry's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. Lower ERA, WHIP and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads. 12 of the 16 lines below are scored; the other 4 are counting totals on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded them. Totals where fewer is not an achievement -- losses, walks and hits allowed -- are left unmarked, because they track how long someone pitched rather than how well. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 2010s and the 1970s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Craig Kimbrel is still active — his totals below are current through October 12, 2026.

Craig Kimbrel vs Dan Quisenberry: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Craig Kimbrel Dan Quisenberry
Wins Leads: 57 56
Losses not scored 53 46
Games Leads: 897 674
Games Started 0 0
Complete Games 0 0
Shutouts 0 0
Saves Leads: 441 244
Strikeouts Leads: 1,322 379
Walks not scored 368 162
Hits Allowed not scored 532 1,064
Home Runs Allowed not scored 79 59
Innings Pitched 867.2 Leads: 1,043.1
ERA Leads: 2.69 2.76
WHIP Leads: 1.04 1.18
K/9 Leads: 13.71 3.27
BB/9 3.82 Leads: 1.40

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Craig Kimbrel outpaces Dan Quisenberry 30,862 to 16,859 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,715 PIV per season to 1,297, across 18 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.

Craig Kimbrel
30,862
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,715 per season (18 seasons)
Dan Quisenberry
16,859
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,297 per season (13 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Craig Kimbrel

No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.

Dan Quisenberry — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19831.94 ERA5-3, 48 K in 139 IP
19852.37 ERA8-9, 54 K in 129 IP
19822.57 ERA9-7, 46 K in 136 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Craig Kimbrel leads in wins, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, while Dan Quisenberry owns innings pitched. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Craig Kimbrel. PIV agrees: Craig Kimbrel grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Craig Kimbrel and Dan Quisenberry careers compare

Dan Quisenberry (1979–1990) was finished before Craig Kimbrel (2010–present) arrived, so they never shared a league. The two careers are close in length, 897 games for Craig Kimbrel and 674 for Dan Quisenberry across 18 and 13 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Dan Quisenberry are innings (1,043.1 to 867.2) and walks per nine (1.40 to 3.82). The per-nine rows read 13.71 strikeouts and 3.82 walks for Craig Kimbrel, 3.27 and 1.40 for Dan Quisenberry. Craig Kimbrel worked mostly in relief (0 starts in 897 games, 441 saves), and Dan Quisenberry worked mostly in relief (0 starts in 674 games, 244 saves). Craig Kimbrel's numbers are live and update with each game, so the comparison is a snapshot.

Craig Kimbrel vs Dan Quisenberry: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Craig Kimbrel or Dan Quisenberry?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Craig Kimbrel leads Dan Quisenberry in 7 of the 12 scored categories.
Who had the better ERA?
Craig Kimbrel, with 2.69 to Dan Quisenberry's 2.76.
Who won more games?
Craig Kimbrel, with 57 to Dan Quisenberry's 56.
Who recorded more strikeouts?
Craig Kimbrel, with 1,322 to Dan Quisenberry's 379.
Who had the better WHIP?
Craig Kimbrel, with 1.04 to Dan Quisenberry's 1.18.