John Axford vs. Dave Smith — Career Comparison

The numbers give Dave Smith a clear advantage over John Axford across the core pitching metrics. Dave Smith led in home run suppression (HR9+ 198 vs 93), run prevention (ERA+ 123 vs 89), and walk avoidance (BB%+ 100 vs 81). John Axford held the edge in strikeout rate (K%+ 110 vs 89). Dave Smith was the better reliever — the numbers make that case clearly.