Jim Rice vs Rusty Staub: Career Stats Comparison

Jim Rice (1974–1989) and Rusty Staub (1963–1985) — 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; Rusty Staub finished with 2,716 hits and 292 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 →

Rusty Staub

Hitter · 1963–1985
Games
2,951
Hits
2,716
Home Runs
292
RBI
1,466
Avg
.279
OPS
.793
View Rusty Staub's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Jim Rice Rusty Staub
Games 2,089 2,951
At-Bats 8,225 9,720
Runs 1,249 1,189
Hits 2,452 2,716
Doubles 373 499
Triples 79 47
Home Runs 382 292
RBI 1,451 1,466
Walks 670 1,255
Strikeouts 1,423 888
Stolen Bases 58 47
Batting Avg .298 .279
On-Base % .352 .362
Slugging % .502 .431
OPS .854 .793

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jim Rice edges Rusty Staub 31,418 to 30,346 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,964 vs 1,264 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)
Rusty Staub
30,346
Career PIV · 1,264 per season (24 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

Rusty Staub — top 3 seasons by OPS

1969.952 OPS29 HR, 79 RBI, .302 avg
1970.891 OPS30 HR, 94 RBI, .274 avg
1971.874 OPS19 HR, 97 RBI, .311 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Jim Rice leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Rusty Staub owns hits, RBI, and 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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