Fred Lynn vs Tim Raines: Career Stats Comparison

Fred Lynn (1974–1990) and Tim Raines (1979–2002) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Fred Lynn finished with 1,960 hits and 306 home runs; Tim Raines finished with 2,605 hits and 170 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

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 →

Tim Raines

Hitter · 1979–2002
Games
2,502
Hits
2,605
Home Runs
170
RBI
980
Avg
.294
OPS
.810
View Tim Raines's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Fred Lynn Tim Raines
Games 1,969 2,502
At-Bats 6,925 8,872
Runs 1,063 1,571
Hits 1,960 2,605
Doubles 388 430
Triples 43 113
Home Runs 306 170
RBI 1,111 980
Walks 857 1,330
Strikeouts 1,116 966
Stolen Bases 72 808
Batting Avg .283 .294
On-Base % .360 .385
Slugging % .484 .425
OPS .845 .810

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tim Raines edges Fred Lynn 25,763 to 25,648 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,073 vs 1,425 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Fred Lynn
25,648
Career PIV · 1,425 per season (18 seasons)
Tim Raines
25,763
Career PIV · 1,073 per season (24 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

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

Tim Raines — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.955 OPS18 HR, 68 RBI, .330 avg
1986.889 OPS9 HR, 62 RBI, .334 avg
1993.880 OPS16 HR, 54 RBI, .306 avg

Verdict

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

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