Hank Aaron vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison

Hank Aaron (1954–1976) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Hank Aaron finished with 3,771 hits and 755 home runs; Billy Williams finished with 2,711 hits and 426 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 →

Billy Williams

Hitter · 1959–1976
Games
2,488
Hits
2,711
Home Runs
426
RBI
1,475
Avg
.290
OPS
.853
View Billy Williams's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Hank Aaron Billy Williams
Games 3,298 2,488
At-Bats 12,364 9,350
Runs 2,174 1,410
Hits 3,771 2,711
Doubles 624 434
Triples 98 88
Home Runs 755 426
RBI 2,297 1,475
Walks 1,402 1,045
Strikeouts 1,383 1,046
Stolen Bases 240 90
Batting Avg .305 .290
On-Base % .374 .361
Slugging % .555 .492
OPS .928 .853

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Aaron outpaces Billy Williams 78,640 to 44,022 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,419 vs 2,446 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)
Billy Williams
44,022
Career PIV · 2,446 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

Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS

19721.005 OPS37 HR, 122 RBI, .333 avg
1970.977 OPS42 HR, 129 RBI, .322 avg
1965.929 OPS34 HR, 108 RBI, .315 avg

Verdict

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