Mark McGwire vs Jim Thome: Career Stats Comparison
Mark McGwire (1986–2001) and Jim Thome (1991–2012) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Mark McGwire finished with 1,626 hits and 583 home runs; Jim Thome finished with 2,328 hits and 612 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Mark McGwire
Jim Thome
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Mark McGwire and Jim Thome. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Mark McGwire | Jim Thome |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,874 | 2,543 |
| At-Bats | 6,187 | 8,422 |
| Runs | 1,167 | 1,583 |
| Hits | 1,626 | 2,328 |
| Doubles | 252 | 451 |
| Triples | 6 | 26 |
| Home Runs | 583 | 612 |
| RBI | 1,414 | 1,699 |
| Walks | 1,317 | 1,747 |
| Strikeouts | 1,596 | 2,548 |
| Stolen Bases | 12 | 19 |
| Batting Avg | .263 | .276 |
| On-Base % | .394 | .402 |
| Slugging % | .588 | .554 |
| OPS | .982 | .956 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Thome leads Mark McGwire 51,664 to 44,531 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,067 vs 2,620 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).
Mark McGwire — top 3 seasons by OPS
Jim Thome — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jim Thome leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Mark McGwire owns OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Thome. PIV agrees: Jim Thome grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.