Jim Rice vs Dave Winfield: Career Stats Comparison

Jim Rice (1974–1989) and Dave Winfield (1973–1995) — 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; Dave Winfield finished with 3,110 hits and 465 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 →

Dave Winfield

Hitter · 1973–1995
Games
2,973
Hits
3,110
Home Runs
465
RBI
1,833
Avg
.283
OPS
.827
View Dave Winfield's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Jim Rice Dave Winfield
Games 2,089 2,973
At-Bats 8,225 11,003
Runs 1,249 1,669
Hits 2,452 3,110
Doubles 373 540
Triples 79 88
Home Runs 382 465
RBI 1,451 1,833
Walks 670 1,216
Strikeouts 1,423 1,686
Stolen Bases 58 223
Batting Avg .298 .283
On-Base % .352 .353
Slugging % .502 .475
OPS .854 .827

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Dave Winfield leads Jim Rice 34,842 to 31,418 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,515 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)
Dave Winfield
34,842
Career PIV · 1,515 per season (23 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

Dave Winfield — top 3 seasons by OPS

1979.953 OPS34 HR, 118 RBI, .308 avg
1988.927 OPS25 HR, 107 RBI, .322 avg
1984.908 OPS19 HR, 100 RBI, .340 avg

Verdict

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

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