Tim Raines vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison

Tim Raines has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Tim Raines played 1979–2002 as a hitter; Jim Rice played 1974–1989 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

Tim Raines (1979–2002) and Jim Rice (1974–1989) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Tim Raines finished with 2,605 hits and 170 home runs; Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Jim Rice, with 382 to Tim Raines's 170.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Jim Rice, with .854 to Tim Raines's .810.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Jim Rice, with .298 to Tim Raines's .294.
  • Who had more hits? Tim Raines, with 2,605 to Jim Rice's 2,452.
  • Who drove in more runs? Jim Rice, with 1,451 to Tim Raines's 980.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Jim Rice, with 31,418 career PIV to Tim Raines's 25,763.
  • Who won more championships? Tim Raines, with 2 World Series titles to Jim Rice's 0.
Leads Tim Raines 9 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Jim Rice +5,655
Read the verdict ↓

Tim Raines

Hitter · 1979–2002
Games
2,502
Hits
2,605
Home Runs
170
RBI
980
Avg
.294
OPS
.810
View Tim Raines's full profile →

Jim Rice

Hitter · 1974–1989
Games
2,089
Hits
2,452
Home Runs
382
RBI
1,451
Avg
.298
OPS
.854
View Jim Rice's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Tim Raines and Jim Rice. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Tim Raines vs Jim Rice: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Tim Raines Jim Rice
Games Leads: 2,502 2,089
At-Bats Leads: 8,872 8,225
Runs Leads: 1,571 1,249
Hits Leads: 2,605 2,452
Doubles Leads: 430 373
Triples Leads: 113 79
Home Runs 170 Leads: 382
RBI 980 Leads: 1,451
Walks Leads: 1,330 670
Strikeouts 966 1,423
Stolen Bases Leads: 808 58
Batting Avg .294 Leads: .298
On-Base % Leads: .385 .352
Slugging % .425 Leads: .502
OPS .810 Leads: .854

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Rice leads Tim Raines 31,418 to 25,763 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,964 vs 1,073 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Tim Raines
25,763
Career PIV · 1,073 per season (24 seasons)
Jim Rice
31,418
Career PIV · 1,964 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Tim Raines — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.955 OPS18 HR, 68 RBI, .330 avg
1986.889 OPS9 HR, 62 RBI, .334 avg
1993.880 OPS16 HR, 54 RBI, .306 avg

Jim Rice — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.977 OPS39 HR, 130 RBI, .325 avg
1978.970 OPS46 HR, 139 RBI, .315 avg
1977.969 OPS39 HR, 114 RBI, .320 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jim Rice leads in home runs, RBI, batting average, and OPS, while Tim Raines owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Rice. PIV agrees: Jim Rice grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Tim Raines vs Jim Rice: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Tim Raines or Jim Rice?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Tim Raines leads Jim Rice in 9 of 14 categories.
Did Tim Raines or Jim Rice hit more home runs?
Jim Rice, with 382 to Tim Raines's 170.
Who had the higher OPS?
Jim Rice, with .854 to Tim Raines's .810.
Who had the higher batting average?
Jim Rice, with .298 to Tim Raines's .294.
Who had more hits?
Tim Raines, with 2,605 to Jim Rice's 2,452.