Tim Raines vs Sammy Sosa: Career Stats Comparison

Tim Raines (1979–2002) and Sammy Sosa (1989–2007) — 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; Sammy Sosa finished with 2,408 hits and 609 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 →

Sammy Sosa

Hitter · 1989–2007
Games
2,354
Hits
2,408
Home Runs
609
RBI
1,667
Avg
.273
OPS
.878
View Sammy Sosa's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Tim Raines Sammy Sosa
Games 2,502 2,354
At-Bats 8,872 8,813
Runs 1,571 1,475
Hits 2,605 2,408
Doubles 430 379
Triples 113 45
Home Runs 170 609
RBI 980 1,667
Walks 1,330 929
Strikeouts 966 2,306
Stolen Bases 808 234
Batting Avg .294 .273
On-Base % .385 .344
Slugging % .425 .534
OPS .810 .878

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Sammy Sosa leads Tim Raines 30,009 to 25,763 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,579 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)
Sammy Sosa
30,009
Career PIV · 1,579 per season (19 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

Sammy Sosa — top 3 seasons by OPS

20011.174 OPS64 HR, 160 RBI, .328 avg
20001.040 OPS50 HR, 138 RBI, .320 avg
19981.024 OPS66 HR, 158 RBI, .308 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Tim Raines leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Sammy Sosa owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tim Raines. Note that PIV actually grades Sammy Sosa ahead, which means Tim Raines's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups