Cal Ripken vs Alex Rodriguez: Career Stats Comparison
Cal Ripken (1981–2001) and Alex Rodriguez (1994–2016) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Cal Ripken finished with 3,184 hits and 431 home runs; Alex Rodriguez finished with 3,115 hits and 696 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Cal Ripken
Alex Rodriguez
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Cal Ripken and Alex Rodriguez. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Cal Ripken | Alex Rodriguez |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,001 | 2,784 |
| At-Bats | 11,551 | 10,566 |
| Runs | 1,647 | 2,021 |
| Hits | 3,184 | 3,115 |
| Doubles | 603 | 548 |
| Triples | 44 | 31 |
| Home Runs | 431 | 696 |
| RBI | 1,695 | 2,086 |
| Walks | 1,129 | 1,338 |
| Strikeouts | 1,305 | 2,287 |
| Stolen Bases | 36 | 329 |
| Batting Avg | .276 | .295 |
| On-Base % | .340 | .380 |
| Slugging % | .447 | .550 |
| OPS | .788 | .930 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Alex Rodriguez outpaces Cal Ripken 54,389 to 19,199 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,472 vs 914 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).
Cal Ripken — top 3 seasons by OPS
Alex Rodriguez — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Alex Rodriguez leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Cal Ripken owns hits. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Alex Rodriguez. PIV agrees: Alex Rodriguez grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.