Lance Parrish vs Gary Sheffield: Career Stats Comparison
Gary Sheffield has the better career line of the two, leading 13 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; Gary Sheffield played 1988–2009 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 Gary Sheffield (1988–2009) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Lance Parrish finished with 1,782 hits and 324 home runs; Gary Sheffield finished with 2,689 hits and 509 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Gary Sheffield, with 509 to Lance Parrish's 324.
- Who had the higher OPS? Gary Sheffield, with .907 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average? Gary Sheffield, with .292 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits? Gary Sheffield, with 2,689 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.
- Who drove in more runs? Gary Sheffield, with 1,676 to Lance Parrish's 1,070.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Gary Sheffield, with 44,001 career PIV to Lance Parrish's 6,792.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Lance Parrish
Gary Sheffield
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Parrish and Gary Sheffield. 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, and the 1970s and the 1980s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Lance Parrish | Gary Sheffield |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,988 | Leads: 2,576 |
| At-Bats | 7,067 | Leads: 9,217 |
| Runs | 856 | Leads: 1,636 |
| Hits | 1,782 | Leads: 2,689 |
| Doubles | 305 | Leads: 467 |
| Triples | 27 | 27 |
| Home Runs | 324 | Leads: 509 |
| RBI | 1,070 | Leads: 1,676 |
| Walks | 612 | Leads: 1,475 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,527 | 1,171 |
| Stolen Bases | 28 | Leads: 253 |
| Batting Avg | .252 | Leads: .292 |
| On-Base % | .313 | Leads: .393 |
| Slugging % | .440 | Leads: .514 |
| OPS | .753 | Leads: .907 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Gary Sheffield outpaces Lance Parrish 44,001 to 6,792 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,833 PIV per season to 340, across 24 seasons to 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
Gary Sheffield — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Gary Sheffield 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 Gary Sheffield. PIV agrees: Gary Sheffield 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 Gary Sheffield careers compare
Lance Parrish and Gary Sheffield were active at the same time between 1988 and 1995. With 1,988 games against 2,576 across 20 and 24 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Every scored category on the table goes to Gary Sheffield. At the plate, Lance Parrish struck out more than walked (1,527 to 612), while Gary Sheffield walked more often than struck out (1,475 walks, 1,171 strikeouts). Gary Sheffield was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Gary Sheffield's on-base percentage of .393 tops Lance Parrish's .313. Gary Sheffield owns the better peak by OPS: .867 OPS in 1982 for Lance Parrish against 1.090 OPS in 1996 for Gary Sheffield.
Lance Parrish vs Gary Sheffield: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Lance Parrish or Gary Sheffield?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Gary Sheffield leads Lance Parrish in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Lance Parrish or Gary Sheffield hit more home runs?
- Gary Sheffield, with 509 to Lance Parrish's 324.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Gary Sheffield, with .907 to Lance Parrish's .753.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Gary Sheffield, with .292 to Lance Parrish's .252.
- Who had more hits?
- Gary Sheffield, with 2,689 to Lance Parrish's 1,782.