Hank Aaron vs Roy Campanella: 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; Roy Campanella played 1948–1957 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 Roy Campanella (1948–1957) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1940s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Hank Aaron finished with 3,771 hits and 755 home runs; Roy Campanella finished with 1,427 hits and 260 home runs. 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 Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS? Hank Aaron, with .928 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Hank Aaron, with .305 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits? Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.
- Who drove in more runs? Hank Aaron, with 2,297 to Roy Campanella's 1,015.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Hank Aaron, with 78,640 career PIV to Roy Campanella's 19,598.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Hank Aaron
Roy Campanella
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Hank Aaron and Roy Campanella. 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 1940s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Hank Aaron | Roy Campanella |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,298 | 1,455 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 12,364 | 5,050 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 787 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,771 | 1,427 |
| Doubles | Leads: 624 | 235 |
| Triples | Leads: 98 | 32 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 755 | 260 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,297 | 1,015 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,402 | 608 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,383 | 514 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 240 | 39 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .305 | .283 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .374 | .363 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .555 | .496 |
| OPS | Leads: .928 | .859 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Aaron outpaces Roy Campanella 78,640 to 19,598 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,419 PIV per season to 1,031, across 23 seasons to 19. 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.
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
Roy Campanella — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Hank Aaron leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Roy Campanella 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 Roy Campanella careers compare
Hank Aaron and Roy Campanella were active at the same time between 1954 and 1957. Hank Aaron has the far longer record, 3,298 games against 1,455 across 23 and 19 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Hank Aaron leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Hank Aaron walked more often than struck out (1,402 walks, 1,383 strikeouts), and Roy Campanella walked more often than struck out (608 walks, 514 strikeouts). Hank Aaron was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Hank Aaron holds the edge, .555 to .496.
Hank Aaron vs Roy Campanella: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Hank Aaron or Roy Campanella?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Hank Aaron leads Roy Campanella in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Hank Aaron or Roy Campanella hit more home runs?
- Hank Aaron, with 755 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Hank Aaron, with .928 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Hank Aaron, with .305 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits?
- Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.