Hank Aaron vs Ted Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Hank Aaron has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Hank Aaron played 1954–1976 as a hitter; Ted Williams played 1939–1960 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 Ted Williams (1939–1960) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Hank Aaron finished with 3,771 hits and 755 home runs; Ted Williams finished with 2,654 hits and 521 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 Ted Williams's 521.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Hank Aaron's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ted Williams, with .344 to Hank Aaron's .305.
- Who had more hits? Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Ted Williams's 2,654.
- Who drove in more runs? Hank Aaron, with 2,297 to Ted Williams's 1,839.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ted Williams, with 96,302 career PIV to Hank Aaron's 78,640.
- Who won more championships? Hank Aaron, with 1 World Series title to Ted Williams's 0.
Hank Aaron
Ted Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Hank Aaron and Ted Williams. 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 | Ted Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,298 | 2,292 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 12,364 | 7,706 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,174 | 1,798 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,771 | 2,654 |
| Doubles | Leads: 624 | 525 |
| Triples | Leads: 98 | 71 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 755 | 521 |
| RBI | Leads: 2,297 | 1,839 |
| Walks | 1,402 | Leads: 2,021 |
| Strikeouts | 1,383 | 709 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 240 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | .305 | Leads: .344 |
| On-Base % | .374 | Leads: .482 |
| Slugging % | .555 | Leads: .634 |
| OPS | .928 | Leads: 1.116 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Williams leads Hank Aaron 96,302 to 78,640 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,069 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
Ted Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Hank Aaron leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ted Williams 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 Ted Williams 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 Ted Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Hank Aaron or Ted Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Hank Aaron leads Ted Williams in 9 of 14 categories.
- Did Hank Aaron or Ted Williams hit more home runs?
- Hank Aaron, with 755 to Ted Williams's 521.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Hank Aaron's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ted Williams, with .344 to Hank Aaron's .305.
- Who had more hits?
- Hank Aaron, with 3,771 to Ted Williams's 2,654.