Jim Rice vs Reggie Smith: Career Stats Comparison
Jim Rice (1974–1989) and Reggie Smith (1966–1982) — 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; Reggie Smith finished with 2,020 hits and 314 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Reggie Smith
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jim Rice and Reggie Smith. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Jim Rice | Reggie Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,089 | 1,987 |
| At-Bats | 8,225 | 7,033 |
| Runs | 1,249 | 1,123 |
| Hits | 2,452 | 2,020 |
| Doubles | 373 | 363 |
| Triples | 79 | 57 |
| Home Runs | 382 | 314 |
| RBI | 1,451 | 1,092 |
| Walks | 670 | 890 |
| Strikeouts | 1,423 | 1,030 |
| Stolen Bases | 58 | 137 |
| Batting Avg | .298 | .287 |
| On-Base % | .352 | .366 |
| Slugging % | .502 | .489 |
| OPS | .854 | .855 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Reggie Smith edges Jim Rice 32,131 to 31,418 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,785 vs 1,964 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Reggie Smith — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Jim Rice leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Reggie Smith owns stolen bases, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Jim Rice. Note that PIV actually grades Reggie Smith ahead, which means Jim Rice's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.