Hank Aaron vs Willie Stargell: Career Stats Comparison

Hank Aaron (1954–1976) and Willie Stargell (1962–1982) — 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; Willie Stargell finished with 2,232 hits and 475 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 →

Willie Stargell

Hitter · 1962–1982
Games
2,360
Hits
2,232
Home Runs
475
RBI
1,540
Avg
.282
OPS
.889
View Willie Stargell's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Hank Aaron Willie Stargell
Games 3,298 2,360
At-Bats 12,364 7,927
Runs 2,174 1,194
Hits 3,771 2,232
Doubles 624 423
Triples 98 55
Home Runs 755 475
RBI 2,297 1,540
Walks 1,402 937
Strikeouts 1,383 1,936
Stolen Bases 240 17
Batting Avg .305 .282
On-Base % .374 .360
Slugging % .555 .529
OPS .928 .889

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Aaron outpaces Willie Stargell 78,640 to 42,804 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,419 vs 2,038 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)
Willie Stargell
42,804
Career PIV · 2,038 per season (21 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

Willie Stargell — top 3 seasons by OPS

19731.038 OPS44 HR, 119 RBI, .299 avg
19711.026 OPS48 HR, 125 RBI, .295 avg
1966.962 OPS33 HR, 102 RBI, .315 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Hank Aaron leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Willie Stargell 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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