Hank Aaron vs Reggie Smith: Career Stats Comparison

Hank Aaron (1954–1976) and Reggie Smith (1966–1982) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Hank Aaron finished with 3,771 hits and 755 home runs; Reggie Smith finished with 2,020 hits and 314 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a 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 →

Reggie Smith

Hitter · 1966–1982
Games
1,987
Hits
2,020
Home Runs
314
RBI
1,092
Avg
.287
OPS
.855
View Reggie Smith's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Hank Aaron and Reggie Smith. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Hank Aaron Reggie Smith
Games 3,298 1,987
At-Bats 12,364 7,033
Runs 2,174 1,123
Hits 3,771 2,020
Doubles 624 363
Triples 98 57
Home Runs 755 314
RBI 2,297 1,092
Walks 1,402 890
Strikeouts 1,383 1,030
Stolen Bases 240 137
Batting Avg .305 .287
On-Base % .374 .366
Slugging % .555 .489
OPS .928 .855

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Aaron outpaces Reggie Smith 78,640 to 32,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,419 vs 1,785 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Hank Aaron
78,640
Career PIV · 3,419 per season (23 seasons)
Reggie Smith
32,131
Career PIV · 1,785 per season (18 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

Reggie Smith — top 3 seasons by OPS

19771.003 OPS32 HR, 87 RBI, .307 avg
1978.942 OPS29 HR, 93 RBI, .295 avg
1974.917 OPS23 HR, 100 RBI, .309 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Hank Aaron leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Reggie Smith 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.

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