Fred McGriff vs John Smoltz: Career Stats Comparison
Fred McGriff (1986–2004) and John Smoltz (1988–2009) — 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; John Smoltz finished with 151 hits and 5 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Fred McGriff
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Fred McGriff and John Smoltz. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Fred McGriff | John Smoltz |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,460 | 735 |
| At-Bats | 8,757 | 948 |
| Runs | 1,349 | 77 |
| Hits | 2,490 | 151 |
| Doubles | 441 | 26 |
| Triples | 24 | 2 |
| Home Runs | 493 | 5 |
| RBI | 1,550 | 61 |
| Walks | 1,305 | 79 |
| Strikeouts | 1,882 | 365 |
| Stolen Bases | 72 | 3 |
| Batting Avg | .284 | .159 |
| On-Base % | .377 | .226 |
| Slugging % | .509 | .207 |
| OPS | .886 | .433 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Fred McGriff outpaces John Smoltz 37,233 to -5,555 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,773 vs -252 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
John Smoltz — top 0 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Fred McGriff leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while John Smoltz owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Fred McGriff. PIV agrees: Fred McGriff grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.