Fred McGriff vs Mark McGwire: Career Stats Comparison
Fred McGriff (1986–2004) and Mark McGwire (1986–2001) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Fred McGriff finished with 2,490 hits and 493 home runs; Mark McGwire finished with 1,626 hits and 583 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Fred McGriff
Mark McGwire
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Fred McGriff and Mark McGwire. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Fred McGriff | Mark McGwire |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,460 | 1,874 |
| At-Bats | 8,757 | 6,187 |
| Runs | 1,349 | 1,167 |
| Hits | 2,490 | 1,626 |
| Doubles | 441 | 252 |
| Triples | 24 | 6 |
| Home Runs | 493 | 583 |
| RBI | 1,550 | 1,414 |
| Walks | 1,305 | 1,317 |
| Strikeouts | 1,882 | 1,596 |
| Stolen Bases | 72 | 12 |
| Batting Avg | .284 | .263 |
| On-Base % | .377 | .394 |
| Slugging % | .509 | .588 |
| OPS | .886 | .982 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mark McGwire leads Fred McGriff 44,531 to 37,233 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,620 vs 1,773 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Fred McGriff — top 3 seasons by OPS
Mark McGwire — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Fred McGriff leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Mark McGwire owns home runs, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Fred McGriff. Note that PIV actually grades Mark McGwire ahead, which means Fred McGriff's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.