Jim Rice vs Ken Singleton: Career Stats Comparison

Jim Rice (1974–1989) and Ken Singleton (1970–1984) — both broke in during the 1970s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs; Ken Singleton finished with 2,029 hits and 246 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 →

Ken Singleton

Hitter · 1970–1984
Games
2,082
Hits
2,029
Home Runs
246
RBI
1,065
Avg
.282
OPS
.824
View Ken Singleton's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Jim Rice Ken Singleton
Games 2,089 2,082
At-Bats 8,225 7,189
Runs 1,249 985
Hits 2,452 2,029
Doubles 373 317
Triples 79 25
Home Runs 382 246
RBI 1,451 1,065
Walks 670 1,263
Strikeouts 1,423 1,246
Stolen Bases 58 21
Batting Avg .298 .282
On-Base % .352 .388
Slugging % .502 .436
OPS .854 .824

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Rice edges Ken Singleton 31,418 to 29,530 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,964 vs 1,969 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)
Ken Singleton
29,530
Career PIV · 1,969 per season (15 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

Ken Singleton — top 3 seasons by OPS

1977.945 OPS24 HR, 99 RBI, .328 avg
1979.938 OPS35 HR, 111 RBI, .295 avg
1973.904 OPS23 HR, 103 RBI, .302 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jim Rice leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ken Singleton owns OBP. 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.

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