Tim Raines vs Gary Sheffield: Career Stats Comparison

Tim Raines (1979–2002) and Gary Sheffield (1988–2009) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Tim Raines finished with 2,605 hits and 170 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.

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 →

Gary Sheffield

Hitter · 1988–2009
Games
2,576
Hits
2,689
Home Runs
509
RBI
1,676
Avg
.292
OPS
.907
View Gary Sheffield's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Tim Raines and Gary Sheffield. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Tim Raines Gary Sheffield
Games 2,502 2,576
At-Bats 8,872 9,217
Runs 1,571 1,636
Hits 2,605 2,689
Doubles 430 467
Triples 113 27
Home Runs 170 509
RBI 980 1,676
Walks 1,330 1,475
Strikeouts 966 1,171
Stolen Bases 808 253
Batting Avg .294 .292
On-Base % .385 .393
Slugging % .425 .514
OPS .810 .907

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Gary Sheffield outpaces Tim Raines 44,001 to 25,763 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,833 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)
Gary Sheffield
44,001
Career PIV · 1,833 per season (24 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

Gary Sheffield — top 3 seasons by OPS

19961.090 OPS42 HR, 120 RBI, .314 avg
20001.081 OPS43 HR, 109 RBI, .325 avg
20031.023 OPS39 HR, 132 RBI, .330 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Gary Sheffield leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Tim Raines owns stolen bases and batting average. 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.

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