John Bates vs. Xavier Hernandez — Career Comparison

Looking at the career totals, John Bates and Xavier Hernandez are fairly close on the surface numbers. Xavier Hernandez posted stronger numbers in ERA (3.9 vs 13.5) and WHIP (1.376 vs 2.500). John Bates had the advantage in home runs allowed (0 per nine innings vs 0.9). By the career numbers, Xavier Hernandez had the better of this comparison — though ERA and WHIP alone don't account for era, park factors, or the defenses each pitcher worked behind.