Lance Parrish vs Mike Schmidt: Career Stats Comparison
Mike Schmidt has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Lance Parrish played 1977–1995 as a hitter; Mike Schmidt played 1972–1989 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Lance Parrish (1977–1995) and Mike Schmidt (1972–1989) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Lance Parrish finished with 1,782 hits and 324 home runs; Mike Schmidt finished with 2,234 hits and 548 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Mike Schmidt, with 548 to Lance Parrish's 324.
- Who had the higher OPS? Mike Schmidt, with .908 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average? Mike Schmidt, with .267 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits? Mike Schmidt, with 2,234 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.
- Who drove in more runs? Mike Schmidt, with 1,595 to Lance Parrish's 1,070.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Mike Schmidt, with 49,630 career PIV to Lance Parrish's 6,792.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Lance Parrish
Mike Schmidt
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Parrish and Mike Schmidt. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Lance Parrish | Mike Schmidt |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,988 | Leads: 2,404 |
| At-Bats | 7,067 | Leads: 8,352 |
| Runs | 856 | Leads: 1,506 |
| Hits | 1,782 | Leads: 2,234 |
| Doubles | 305 | Leads: 408 |
| Triples | 27 | Leads: 59 |
| Home Runs | 324 | Leads: 548 |
| RBI | 1,070 | Leads: 1,595 |
| Walks | 612 | Leads: 1,507 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,527 | 1,883 |
| Stolen Bases | 28 | Leads: 174 |
| Batting Avg | .252 | Leads: .267 |
| On-Base % | .313 | Leads: .380 |
| Slugging % | .440 | Leads: .527 |
| OPS | .753 | Leads: .908 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Mike Schmidt outpaces Lance Parrish 49,630 to 6,792 — driven by per-season impact — 2,757 PIV per season to 340 — rather than by longevity, since Mike Schmidt played 18 seasons to Lance Parrish's 20. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Lance Parrish — top 3 seasons by OPS
Mike Schmidt — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Mike Schmidt leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Lance Parrish owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Mike Schmidt. PIV agrees: Mike Schmidt grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Lance Parrish and Mike Schmidt careers compare
The careers of Lance Parrish (1977–1995) and Mike Schmidt (1972–1989) overlapped from 1977 to 1989, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,988 games for Lance Parrish and 2,404 for Mike Schmidt across 20 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Every scored category on the table goes to Mike Schmidt. At the plate, Lance Parrish struck out more than walked (1,527 to 612), and Mike Schmidt struck out more than walked (1,883 to 1,507). Home runs make up a larger share of Mike Schmidt's hits: 324 of 1,782 for Lance Parrish, 548 of 2,234 for Mike Schmidt.
Lance Parrish vs Mike Schmidt: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Lance Parrish or Mike Schmidt?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Mike Schmidt leads Lance Parrish in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Lance Parrish or Mike Schmidt hit more home runs?
- Mike Schmidt, with 548 to Lance Parrish's 324.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Mike Schmidt, with .908 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Mike Schmidt, with .267 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits?
- Mike Schmidt, with 2,234 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.