Shane Reynolds vs David Wells: Career Stats Comparison

Shane Reynolds (1992–2004) and David Wells (1987–2007) — breaking in during the 1990s and the 1980s respectively, so they pitched against very different hitting environments. Shane Reynolds compiled 114 wins and 1,403 strikeouts; David Wells put up 239 wins and 2,201 strikeouts. The numbers below run them through identical career and rate-stat lenses.

Shane Reynolds

Pitcher · 1992–2004
Wins
114
Losses
96
Strikeouts
1,403
ERA
4.09
WHIP
1.31
IP
1,791
View Shane Reynolds's full profile →

David Wells

Pitcher · 1987–2007
Wins
239
Losses
157
Strikeouts
2,201
ERA
4.13
WHIP
1.27
IP
3,439
View David Wells's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate. Cells highlighted in green mark the player who leads that line. For pitchers, lower ERA, WHIP, and BB/9 lead; higher K/9 leads.

Statistic Shane Reynolds David Wells
Wins 114 239
Losses 96 157
Games 305 660
Games Started 278 489
Complete Games 20 54
Shutouts 7 12
Saves 0 13
Strikeouts 1,403 2,201
Walks 419 719
Hits Allowed 1,935 3,635
Home Runs Allowed 191 407
Innings Pitched 1,791 3,439
ERA 4.09 4.13
WHIP 1.31 1.27
K/9 7.05 5.76
BB/9 2.10 1.88

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Shane Reynolds leads David Wells 37,791 to 31,301 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,907 vs 1,304 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Shane Reynolds
37,791
Career Pitcher PIV · 2,907 per season (13 seasons)
David Wells
31,301
Career Pitcher PIV · 1,304 per season (24 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by ERA among qualified workloads (120+ innings).

Shane Reynolds — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19943.05 ERA8-5, 110 K in 124 IP
19953.47 ERA10-11, 175 K in 189 IP
19983.51 ERA19-8, 209 K in 233 IP

David Wells — top 3 seasons by ERA (lower is better)

19953.04 ERA10-3, 83 K in 130 IP
19903.14 ERA11-6, 115 K in 189 IP
19983.49 ERA18-4, 163 K in 214 IP

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, David Wells leads in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, and innings pitched, while Shane Reynolds owns ERA and K/9. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to David Wells. Note that PIV actually grades Shane Reynolds ahead, which means David Wells's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

See These Players in Another Era