Fred Lynn vs Rusty Staub: Career Stats Comparison

Fred Lynn (1974–1990) and Rusty Staub (1963–1985) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Fred Lynn finished with 1,960 hits and 306 home runs; Rusty Staub finished with 2,716 hits and 292 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 →

Rusty Staub

Hitter · 1963–1985
Games
2,951
Hits
2,716
Home Runs
292
RBI
1,466
Avg
.279
OPS
.793
View Rusty Staub's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Fred Lynn Rusty Staub
Games 1,969 2,951
At-Bats 6,925 9,720
Runs 1,063 1,189
Hits 1,960 2,716
Doubles 388 499
Triples 43 47
Home Runs 306 292
RBI 1,111 1,466
Walks 857 1,255
Strikeouts 1,116 888
Stolen Bases 72 47
Batting Avg .283 .279
On-Base % .360 .362
Slugging % .484 .431
OPS .845 .793

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rusty Staub leads Fred Lynn 30,346 to 25,648 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,264 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)
Rusty Staub
30,346
Career PIV · 1,264 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

Rusty Staub — top 3 seasons by OPS

1969.952 OPS29 HR, 79 RBI, .302 avg
1970.891 OPS30 HR, 94 RBI, .274 avg
1971.874 OPS19 HR, 97 RBI, .311 avg

Verdict

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

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