Dave Parker vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison

Dave Parker (1973–1991) and Jim Rice (1974–1989) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Dave Parker finished with 2,712 hits and 339 home runs; Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

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 →

Jim Rice

Hitter · 1974–1989
Games
2,089
Hits
2,452
Home Runs
382
RBI
1,451
Avg
.298
OPS
.854
View Jim Rice's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Dave Parker Jim Rice
Games 2,466 2,089
At-Bats 9,358 8,225
Runs 1,272 1,249
Hits 2,712 2,452
Doubles 526 373
Triples 75 79
Home Runs 339 382
RBI 1,493 1,451
Walks 683 670
Strikeouts 1,537 1,423
Stolen Bases 154 58
Batting Avg .290 .298
On-Base % .339 .352
Slugging % .471 .502
OPS .810 .854

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Rice outpaces Dave Parker 31,418 to 23,542 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,964 vs 1,177 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Dave Parker
23,542
Career PIV · 1,177 per season (20 seasons)
Jim Rice
31,418
Career PIV · 1,964 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

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

Jim Rice — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.977 OPS39 HR, 130 RBI, .325 avg
1978.970 OPS46 HR, 139 RBI, .315 avg
1977.969 OPS39 HR, 114 RBI, .320 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jim Rice leads in home runs, batting average, 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 Jim Rice. PIV agrees: Jim Rice grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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