Hank Aaron vs Stan Musial: Career Stats Comparison
Hank Aaron and Stan Musial are close to even, splitting the 14 statistical categories compared on this page 7–7. Hank Aaron played 1954–1976 as a hitter; Stan Musial played 1941–1963 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 Stan Musial (1941–1963) — 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; Stan Musial finished with 3,630 hits and 475 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 Stan Musial's 475.
- Who had the higher OPS? Stan Musial, with .976 to Hank Aaron's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average? Stan Musial, with .331 to Hank Aaron's .305.
- Who had more hits? Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Stan Musial's 3,630.
- Who drove in more runs? Hank Aaron, with 2,297 to Stan Musial's 1,951.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Stan Musial, with 83,624 career PIV to Hank Aaron's 78,640.
- Who won more championships? Stan Musial, with 3 World Series titles to Hank Aaron's 1.
Hank Aaron
Stan Musial
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Hank Aaron and Stan Musial. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Hank Aaron | Stan Musial |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,298 | 3,026 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 12,364 | 10,972 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 1,949 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,771 | 3,630 |
| Doubles | 624 | Leads: 725 |
| Triples | 98 | Leads: 177 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 755 | 475 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,297 | 1,951 |
| Walks | 1,402 | Leads: 1,599 |
| Strikeouts | 1,383 | 696 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 240 | 78 |
| Batting Avg | .305 | Leads: .331 |
| On-Base % | .374 | Leads: .417 |
| Slugging % | .555 | Leads: .559 |
| OPS | .928 | Leads: .976 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Stan Musial edges Hank Aaron 83,624 to 78,640 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,801 vs 3,419 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Stan Musial — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Hank Aaron leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Stan Musial owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Aaron. Note that PIV actually grades Stan Musial ahead, which means Hank Aaron's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Hank Aaron vs Stan Musial: Frequently Asked Questions
- Did Hank Aaron or Stan Musial hit more home runs?
- Hank Aaron, with 755 to Stan Musial's 475.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Stan Musial, with .976 to Hank Aaron's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Stan Musial, with .331 to Hank Aaron's .305.
- Who had more hits?
- Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Stan Musial's 3,630.