Ted Simmons vs Gene Tenace: Career Stats Comparison

Ted Simmons (1968–1988) and Gene Tenace (1969–1983) — both broke in during the 1960s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Ted Simmons finished with 2,472 hits and 248 home runs; Gene Tenace finished with 1,060 hits and 201 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Ted Simmons

Hitter · 1968–1988
Games
2,456
Hits
2,472
Home Runs
248
RBI
1,389
Avg
.285
OPS
.785
View Ted Simmons's full profile →

Gene Tenace

Hitter · 1969–1983
Games
1,555
Hits
1,060
Home Runs
201
RBI
674
Avg
.241
OPS
.817
View Gene Tenace's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ted Simmons and Gene Tenace. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Ted Simmons Gene Tenace
Games 2,456 1,555
At-Bats 8,680 4,390
Runs 1,074 653
Hits 2,472 1,060
Doubles 483 179
Triples 47 20
Home Runs 248 201
RBI 1,389 674
Walks 855 984
Strikeouts 694 998
Stolen Bases 21 36
Batting Avg .285 .241
On-Base % .348 .388
Slugging % .437 .429
OPS .785 .817

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Simmons edges Gene Tenace 20,131 to 18,534 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (959 vs 1,236 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Ted Simmons
20,131
Career PIV · 959 per season (21 seasons)
Gene Tenace
18,534
Career PIV · 1,236 per season (15 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Ted Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS

1977.908 OPS21 HR, 95 RBI, .318 avg
1978.889 OPS22 HR, 80 RBI, .287 avg
1975.887 OPS18 HR, 100 RBI, .332 avg

Gene Tenace — top 3 seasons by OPS

1975.859 OPS29 HR, 87 RBI, .255 avg
1979.848 OPS20 HR, 67 RBI, .263 avg
1976.831 OPS22 HR, 66 RBI, .249 avg

Verdict

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

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