Dale Murphy vs Dave Parker: Career Stats Comparison

Dale Murphy (1976–1993) and Dave Parker (1973–1991) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Dale Murphy finished with 2,111 hits and 398 home runs; Dave Parker finished with 2,712 hits and 339 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Dale Murphy

Hitter · 1976–1993
Games
2,180
Hits
2,111
Home Runs
398
RBI
1,266
Avg
.265
OPS
.815
View Dale Murphy's full profile →

Dave Parker

Hitter · 1973–1991
Games
2,466
Hits
2,712
Home Runs
339
RBI
1,493
Avg
.290
OPS
.810
View Dave Parker's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Dale Murphy and Dave Parker. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Dale Murphy Dave Parker
Games 2,180 2,466
At-Bats 7,960 9,358
Runs 1,197 1,272
Hits 2,111 2,712
Doubles 350 526
Triples 39 75
Home Runs 398 339
RBI 1,266 1,493
Walks 986 683
Strikeouts 1,748 1,537
Stolen Bases 161 154
Batting Avg .265 .290
On-Base % .346 .339
Slugging % .469 .471
OPS .815 .810

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dale Murphy edges Dave Parker 24,431 to 23,542 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,286 vs 1,177 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Dale Murphy
24,431
Career PIV · 1,286 per season (19 seasons)
Dave Parker
23,542
Career PIV · 1,177 per season (20 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Dale Murphy — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.997 OPS44 HR, 105 RBI, .295 avg
1983.933 OPS36 HR, 121 RBI, .302 avg
1985.927 OPS37 HR, 111 RBI, .300 avg

Dave Parker — top 3 seasons by OPS

1978.979 OPS30 HR, 117 RBI, .334 avg
1977.927 OPS21 HR, 88 RBI, .338 avg
1985.916 OPS34 HR, 125 RBI, .312 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups