Buster Posey vs Chase Utley: Career Stats Comparison
Chase Utley has the better career line of the two, leading 11 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; Chase Utley played 2003–2018 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 Chase Utley (2003–2018) — both broke in during the 2000s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Buster Posey finished with 1,500 hits and 158 home runs; Chase Utley finished with 1,885 hits and 259 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Chase Utley, with 259 to Buster Posey's 158.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buster Posey, with .831 to Chase Utley's .823.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buster Posey, with .302 to Chase Utley's .275.
- Who had more hits? Chase Utley, with 1,885 to Buster Posey's 1,500.
- Who drove in more runs? Chase Utley, with 1,025 to Buster Posey's 729.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Chase Utley, with 17,446 career PIV to Buster Posey's 15,615.
- Who won more championships? Buster Posey, with 3 World Series titles to Chase Utley's 1.
Buster Posey
Chase Utley
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Buster Posey and Chase Utley. 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 | Buster Posey | Chase Utley |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,371 | Leads: 1,937 |
| At-Bats | 4,970 | Leads: 6,857 |
| Runs | 663 | Leads: 1,103 |
| Hits | 1,500 | Leads: 1,885 |
| Doubles | 293 | Leads: 411 |
| Triples | 9 | Leads: 58 |
| Home Runs | 158 | Leads: 259 |
| RBI | 729 | Leads: 1,025 |
| Walks | 540 | Leads: 724 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 721 | 1,193 |
| Stolen Bases | 23 | Leads: 154 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .302 | .275 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .372 | .358 |
| Slugging % | .460 | Leads: .465 |
| OPS | Leads: .831 | .823 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Chase Utley leads Buster Posey 17,446 to 15,615 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Chase Utley played 17 seasons to Buster Posey's 12, while Buster Posey carries the higher per-season figure (1,301 to 1,026). 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
Chase Utley — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Chase Utley leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Buster Posey owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Chase Utley. PIV agrees: Chase Utley 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 Chase Utley careers compare
The careers of Buster Posey (2009–2021) and Chase Utley (2003–2018) overlapped from 2009 to 2018, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,371 games for Buster Posey and 1,937 for Chase Utley across 12 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Buster Posey are batting average (.302 to .275), on-base percentage (.372 to .358), and OPS (.831 to .823). At the plate, Buster Posey struck out more than walked (721 to 540), and Chase Utley struck out more than walked (1,193 to 724).
Buster Posey vs Chase Utley: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Buster Posey or Chase Utley?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Chase Utley leads Buster Posey in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Buster Posey or Chase Utley hit more home runs?
- Chase Utley, with 259 to Buster Posey's 158.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buster Posey, with .831 to Chase Utley's .823.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buster Posey, with .302 to Chase Utley's .275.
- Who had more hits?
- Chase Utley, with 1,885 to Buster Posey's 1,500.