Jim Rice vs Pete Rose: Career Stats Comparison

Jim Rice (1974–1989) and Pete Rose (1963–1986) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs; Pete Rose finished with 4,256 hits and 160 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

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 →

Pete Rose

Hitter · 1963–1986
Games
3,562
Hits
4,256
Home Runs
160
RBI
1,314
Avg
.303
OPS
.784
View Pete Rose's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jim Rice and Pete Rose. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Jim Rice Pete Rose
Games 2,089 3,562
At-Bats 8,225 14,053
Runs 1,249 2,165
Hits 2,452 4,256
Doubles 373 746
Triples 79 135
Home Runs 382 160
RBI 1,451 1,314
Walks 670 1,566
Strikeouts 1,423 1,143
Stolen Bases 58 198
Batting Avg .298 .303
On-Base % .352 .375
Slugging % .502 .409
OPS .854 .784

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Pete Rose leads Jim Rice 40,772 to 31,418 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,631 vs 1,964 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Jim Rice
31,418
Career PIV · 1,964 per season (16 seasons)
Pete Rose
40,772
Career PIV · 1,631 per season (25 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

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

Pete Rose — top 3 seasons by OPS

1969.940 OPS16 HR, 82 RBI, .348 avg
1968.861 OPS10 HR, 49 RBI, .335 avg
1970.855 OPS15 HR, 52 RBI, .316 avg

Verdict

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

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