Dale Murphy vs Ken Singleton: Career Stats Comparison

Dale Murphy (1976–1993) and Ken Singleton (1970–1984) — 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; Ken Singleton finished with 2,029 hits and 246 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 →

Ken Singleton

Hitter · 1970–1984
Games
2,082
Hits
2,029
Home Runs
246
RBI
1,065
Avg
.282
OPS
.824
View Ken Singleton's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Dale Murphy Ken Singleton
Games 2,180 2,082
At-Bats 7,960 7,189
Runs 1,197 985
Hits 2,111 2,029
Doubles 350 317
Triples 39 25
Home Runs 398 246
RBI 1,266 1,065
Walks 986 1,263
Strikeouts 1,748 1,246
Stolen Bases 161 21
Batting Avg .265 .282
On-Base % .346 .388
Slugging % .469 .436
OPS .815 .824

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Singleton leads Dale Murphy 29,530 to 24,431 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,969 vs 1,286 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)
Ken Singleton
29,530
Career PIV · 1,969 per season (15 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

Ken Singleton — top 3 seasons by OPS

1977.945 OPS24 HR, 99 RBI, .328 avg
1979.938 OPS35 HR, 111 RBI, .295 avg
1973.904 OPS23 HR, 103 RBI, .302 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Dale Murphy leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ken Singleton owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Dale Murphy. Note that PIV actually grades Ken Singleton ahead, which means Dale Murphy's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups