Albert Pujols vs Adam Wainwright: Career Stats Comparison
Albert Pujols (2001–2022) and Adam Wainwright (2005–present) — both broke in during the 2000s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Albert Pujols finished with 3,384 hits and 703 home runs; Adam Wainwright finished with 143 hits and 10 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Albert Pujols
Adam Wainwright
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Albert Pujols | Adam Wainwright |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,080 | 508 |
| At-Bats | 11,421 | 744 |
| Runs | 1,914 | 55 |
| Hits | 3,384 | 143 |
| Doubles | 686 | 39 |
| Triples | 16 | 2 |
| Home Runs | 703 | 10 |
| RBI | 2,218 | 75 |
| Walks | 1,373 | 27 |
| Strikeouts | 1,404 | 250 |
| Stolen Bases | 117 | 0 |
| Batting Avg | .296 | .192 |
| On-Base % | .374 | .220 |
| Slugging % | .544 | .290 |
| OPS | .918 | .510 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Albert Pujols outpaces Adam Wainwright 58,591 to -3,588 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,547 vs -199 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Albert Pujols — top 3 seasons by OPS
Adam Wainwright — top 0 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Albert Pujols leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Adam Wainwright owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Albert Pujols. PIV agrees: Albert Pujols grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.