Frank Robinson vs Carl Yastrzemski: Career Stats Comparison

Frank Robinson (1956–1976) and Carl Yastrzemski (1961–1983) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Frank Robinson finished with 2,943 hits and 586 home runs; Carl Yastrzemski finished with 3,419 hits and 452 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Frank Robinson

Hitter · 1956–1976
Games
2,808
Hits
2,943
Home Runs
586
RBI
1,812
Avg
.294
OPS
.926
View Frank Robinson's full profile →

Carl Yastrzemski

Hitter · 1961–1983
Games
3,308
Hits
3,419
Home Runs
452
RBI
1,844
Avg
.285
OPS
.841
View Carl Yastrzemski's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Frank Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Frank Robinson Carl Yastrzemski
Games 2,808 3,308
At-Bats 10,006 11,988
Runs 1,829 1,816
Hits 2,943 3,419
Doubles 528 646
Triples 72 59
Home Runs 586 452
RBI 1,812 1,844
Walks 1,420 1,845
Strikeouts 1,532 1,393
Stolen Bases 204 168
Batting Avg .294 .285
On-Base % .389 .379
Slugging % .537 .462
OPS .926 .841

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Frank Robinson leads Carl Yastrzemski 67,113 to 54,310 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,051 vs 2,361 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Frank Robinson
67,113
Career PIV · 3,051 per season (22 seasons)
Carl Yastrzemski
54,310
Career PIV · 2,361 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).

Frank Robinson — top 3 seasons by OPS

19661.047 OPS49 HR, 122 RBI, .316 avg
19621.045 OPS39 HR, 136 RBI, .342 avg
19611.015 OPS37 HR, 124 RBI, .323 avg

Carl Yastrzemski — top 3 seasons by OPS

19701.044 OPS40 HR, 102 RBI, .329 avg
19671.040 OPS44 HR, 121 RBI, .326 avg
1965.932 OPS20 HR, 72 RBI, .312 avg

Verdict

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

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