Pete Rose vs Rusty Staub: Career Stats Comparison
Pete Rose (1963–1986) and Rusty Staub (1963–1985) — both broke in during the 1960s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Pete Rose finished with 4,256 hits and 160 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.
Pete Rose
Rusty Staub
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Pete Rose 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 | Pete Rose | Rusty Staub |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,562 | 2,951 |
| At-Bats | 14,053 | 9,720 |
| Runs | 2,165 | 1,189 |
| Hits | 4,256 | 2,716 |
| Doubles | 746 | 499 |
| Triples | 135 | 47 |
| Home Runs | 160 | 292 |
| RBI | 1,314 | 1,466 |
| Walks | 1,566 | 1,255 |
| Strikeouts | 1,143 | 888 |
| Stolen Bases | 198 | 47 |
| Batting Avg | .303 | .279 |
| On-Base % | .375 | .362 |
| Slugging % | .409 | .431 |
| OPS | .784 | .793 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Pete Rose outpaces Rusty Staub 40,772 to 30,346 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,631 vs 1,264 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).
Pete Rose — top 3 seasons by OPS
Rusty Staub — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Pete Rose leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Rusty Staub owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Pete Rose. PIV agrees: Pete Rose grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.