Buster Posey vs Alex Rodriguez: Career Stats Comparison
Alex Rodriguez 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). Buster Posey played 2009–2021 as a hitter; Alex Rodriguez played 1994–2016 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
Buster Posey (2009–2021) and Alex Rodriguez (1994–2016) — they broke in during the 2000s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Buster Posey finished with 1,500 hits and 158 home runs; Alex Rodriguez finished with 3,115 hits and 696 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Alex Rodriguez, with 696 to Buster Posey's 158.
- Who had the higher OPS? Alex Rodriguez, with .930 to Buster Posey's .831.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buster Posey, with .302 to Alex Rodriguez's .295.
- Who had more hits? Alex Rodriguez, with 3,115 to Buster Posey's 1,500.
- Who drove in more runs? Alex Rodriguez, with 2,086 to Buster Posey's 729.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Alex Rodriguez, with 54,389 career PIV to Buster Posey's 15,615.
- Who won more championships? Buster Posey, with 3 World Series titles to Alex Rodriguez's 1.
Buster Posey
Alex Rodriguez
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Buster Posey and Alex Rodriguez. 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 2000s and the 1990s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Buster Posey | Alex Rodriguez |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,371 | Leads: 2,784 |
| At-Bats | 4,970 | Leads: 10,566 |
| Runs | 663 | Leads: 2,021 |
| Hits | 1,500 | Leads: 3,115 |
| Doubles | 293 | Leads: 548 |
| Triples | 9 | Leads: 31 |
| Home Runs | 158 | Leads: 696 |
| RBI | 729 | Leads: 2,086 |
| Walks | 540 | Leads: 1,338 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 721 | 2,287 |
| Stolen Bases | 23 | Leads: 329 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .302 | .295 |
| On-Base % | .372 | Leads: .380 |
| Slugging % | .460 | Leads: .550 |
| OPS | .831 | Leads: .930 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Alex Rodriguez outpaces Buster Posey 54,389 to 15,615 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,472 PIV per season to 1,301, across 22 seasons to 12. 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).
Buster Posey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Alex Rodriguez — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Alex Rodriguez leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Buster Posey owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Alex Rodriguez. PIV agrees: Alex Rodriguez grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Buster Posey and Alex Rodriguez careers compare
The careers of Buster Posey (2009–2021) and Alex Rodriguez (1994–2016) overlapped from 2009 to 2016, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Buster Posey appeared in 1,371 games to Alex Rodriguez's 2,784. Where Buster Posey comes out ahead, it is in batting average (.302 to .295). At the plate, Buster Posey struck out more than walked (721 to 540), and Alex Rodriguez struck out more than walked (2,287 to 1,338). Home runs make up a larger share of Alex Rodriguez's hits: 158 of 1,500 for Buster Posey, 696 of 3,115 for Alex Rodriguez.
Buster Posey vs Alex Rodriguez: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Buster Posey or Alex Rodriguez?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Alex Rodriguez leads Buster Posey in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Buster Posey or Alex Rodriguez hit more home runs?
- Alex Rodriguez, with 696 to Buster Posey's 158.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Alex Rodriguez, with .930 to Buster Posey's .831.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buster Posey, with .302 to Alex Rodriguez's .295.
- Who had more hits?
- Alex Rodriguez, with 3,115 to Buster Posey's 1,500.