Jim Rice vs Larry Walker: Career Stats Comparison
Jim Rice (1974–1989) and Larry Walker (1989–2005) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jim Rice finished with 2,452 hits and 382 home runs; Larry Walker finished with 2,160 hits and 383 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Larry Walker
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jim Rice and Larry Walker. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Jim Rice | Larry Walker |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,089 | 1,988 |
| At-Bats | 8,225 | 6,907 |
| Runs | 1,249 | 1,355 |
| Hits | 2,452 | 2,160 |
| Doubles | 373 | 471 |
| Triples | 79 | 62 |
| Home Runs | 382 | 383 |
| RBI | 1,451 | 1,311 |
| Walks | 670 | 913 |
| Strikeouts | 1,423 | 1,231 |
| Stolen Bases | 58 | 230 |
| Batting Avg | .298 | .313 |
| On-Base % | .352 | .400 |
| Slugging % | .502 | .565 |
| OPS | .854 | .965 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Larry Walker outpaces Jim Rice 42,378 to 31,418 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,354 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
Larry Walker — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Larry Walker leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Jim Rice owns hits and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Larry Walker. PIV agrees: Larry Walker grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.