Hank Aaron vs Cody Bellinger: Career Stats Comparison

Hank Aaron has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Hank Aaron played 1954–1976 as a hitter; Cody Bellinger has played 2017–present as a hitter.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

Hank Aaron (1954–1976) and Cody Bellinger (2017–present) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 2010s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Hank Aaron finished with 3,771 hits and 755 home runs; Cody Bellinger has 1,233 hits and 242 home runs through October 12, 2026. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Hank Aaron, with 755 to Cody Bellinger's 242.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Hank Aaron, with .928 to Cody Bellinger's .812.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Hank Aaron, with .305 to Cody Bellinger's .261.
  • Who had more hits? Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Cody Bellinger's 1,233.
  • Who drove in more runs? Hank Aaron, with 2,297 to Cody Bellinger's 768.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Hank Aaron, with 78,640 career PIV to Cody Bellinger's 10,298.
  • Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Leads Hank Aaron 14 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Hank Aaron +68,342
Read the verdict ↓

Hank Aaron

Hitter · 1954–1976
Games
3,298
Hits
3,771
Home Runs
755
RBI
2,297
Avg
.305
OPS
.928
View Hank Aaron's full profile →

Cody Bellinger

Hitter · 2017–present
Games
1,289
Hits
1,233
Home Runs
242
RBI
768
Avg
.261
OPS
.812
View Cody Bellinger's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Hank Aaron and Cody Bellinger. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1950s and the 2010s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Cody Bellinger is still active — his totals below are current through October 12, 2026.

Hank Aaron vs Cody Bellinger: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Hank Aaron Cody Bellinger
Games Leads: 3,298 1,289
At-Bats Leads: 12,364 4,726
Runs Leads: 2,174 763
Hits Leads: 3,771 1,233
Doubles Leads: 624 236
Triples Leads: 98 31
Home Runs Leads: 755 242
RBI Leads: 2,297 768
Walks Leads: 1,402 528
Strikeouts not scored 1,383 1,046
Stolen Bases Leads: 240 116
Batting Avg Leads: .305 .261
On-Base % Leads: .374 .334
Slugging % Leads: .555 .478
OPS Leads: .928 .812

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Aaron outpaces Cody Bellinger 78,640 to 10,298 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,419 PIV per season to 1,144, across 23 seasons to 9. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.

Hank Aaron
78,640
Career PIV · 3,419 per season (23 seasons)
Cody Bellinger
10,298
Career PIV · 1,144 per season (9 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Hank Aaron — top 3 seasons by OPS

19711.079 OPS47 HR, 118 RBI, .327 avg
19731.045 OPS40 HR, 96 RBI, .301 avg
19591.037 OPS39 HR, 123 RBI, .355 avg

Cody Bellinger — top 3 seasons by OPS

20191.035 OPS47 HR, 115 RBI, .305 avg
2017.933 OPS39 HR, 97 RBI, .267 avg
2023.881 OPS26 HR, 97 RBI, .307 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Hank Aaron leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Cody Bellinger owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Aaron. PIV agrees: Hank Aaron grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

How the Hank Aaron and Cody Bellinger careers compare

Hank Aaron (1954–1976) was finished before Cody Bellinger (2017–present) arrived, so they never shared a league. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Hank Aaron appeared in 3,298 games to Cody Bellinger's 1,289. Every scored category on the table goes to Hank Aaron. At the plate, Hank Aaron walked more often than struck out (1,402 walks, 1,383 strikeouts), while Cody Bellinger struck out more than walked (1,046 to 528). On the bases, Cody Bellinger stole more often per game played (240 steals in 3,298 games for Hank Aaron, 116 in 1,289 for Cody Bellinger). In slugging percentage, Hank Aaron holds the edge, .555 to .478. Cody Bellinger's numbers are live and update with each game, so the comparison is a snapshot.

Hank Aaron vs Cody Bellinger: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Hank Aaron or Cody Bellinger?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Hank Aaron leads Cody Bellinger in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
Did Hank Aaron or Cody Bellinger hit more home runs?
Hank Aaron, with 755 to Cody Bellinger's 242.
Who had the higher OPS?
Hank Aaron, with .928 to Cody Bellinger's .812.
Who had the higher batting average?
Hank Aaron, with .305 to Cody Bellinger's .261.
Who had more hits?
Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Cody Bellinger's 1,233.

See These Players in Another Era