Rafael Palmeiro vs Mo Vaughn: Career Stats Comparison
Rafael Palmeiro (1986–2005) and Mo Vaughn (1991–2003) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Rafael Palmeiro finished with 3,020 hits and 569 home runs; Mo Vaughn finished with 1,620 hits and 328 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Rafael Palmeiro
Mo Vaughn
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Rafael Palmeiro and Mo Vaughn. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Rafael Palmeiro | Mo Vaughn |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,831 | 1,512 |
| At-Bats | 10,472 | 5,532 |
| Runs | 1,663 | 861 |
| Hits | 3,020 | 1,620 |
| Doubles | 585 | 270 |
| Triples | 38 | 10 |
| Home Runs | 569 | 328 |
| RBI | 1,835 | 1,064 |
| Walks | 1,353 | 725 |
| Strikeouts | 1,348 | 1,429 |
| Stolen Bases | 97 | 30 |
| Batting Avg | .288 | .293 |
| On-Base % | .371 | .383 |
| Slugging % | .515 | .523 |
| OPS | .885 | .906 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rafael Palmeiro outpaces Mo Vaughn 42,814 to 24,784 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,141 vs 2,065 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).
Rafael Palmeiro — top 3 seasons by OPS
Mo Vaughn — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rafael Palmeiro leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Mo Vaughn owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rafael Palmeiro. PIV agrees: Rafael Palmeiro grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.