Magglio Ordonez vs Tim Salmon: Career Stats Comparison

Magglio Ordonez (1997–2011) and Tim Salmon (1992–2006) — both broke in during the 1990s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Magglio Ordonez finished with 2,156 hits and 294 home runs; Tim Salmon finished with 1,674 hits and 299 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Magglio Ordonez

Hitter · 1997–2011
Games
1,848
Hits
2,156
Home Runs
294
RBI
1,236
Avg
.309
OPS
.871
View Magglio Ordonez's full profile →

Tim Salmon

Hitter · 1992–2006
Games
1,672
Hits
1,674
Home Runs
299
RBI
1,016
Avg
.282
OPS
.884
View Tim Salmon's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Magglio Ordonez and Tim Salmon. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Magglio Ordonez Tim Salmon
Games 1,848 1,672
At-Bats 6,978 5,934
Runs 1,076 986
Hits 2,156 1,674
Doubles 426 339
Triples 21 24
Home Runs 294 299
RBI 1,236 1,016
Walks 651 970
Strikeouts 852 1,360
Stolen Bases 94 48
Batting Avg .309 .282
On-Base % .369 .385
Slugging % .502 .498
OPS .871 .884

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tim Salmon edges Magglio Ordonez 22,790 to 22,173 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,628 vs 1,478 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Magglio Ordonez
22,173
Career PIV · 1,478 per season (15 seasons)
Tim Salmon
22,790
Career PIV · 1,628 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Magglio Ordonez — top 3 seasons by OPS

20071.029 OPS28 HR, 139 RBI, .363 avg
2002.978 OPS38 HR, 135 RBI, .320 avg
2003.926 OPS29 HR, 99 RBI, .317 avg

Tim Salmon — top 3 seasons by OPS

19951.024 OPS34 HR, 105 RBI, .330 avg
2000.945 OPS34 HR, 97 RBI, .290 avg
1998.943 OPS26 HR, 88 RBI, .300 avg

Verdict

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

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