Hank Aaron vs Ted Williams: Career Stats Comparison

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.

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 →

Ted Williams

Hitter · 1939–1960
Games
2,292
Hits
2,654
Home Runs
521
RBI
1,839
Avg
.344
OPS
1.116
View Ted Williams's full profile →

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; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Hank Aaron Ted Williams
Games 3,298 2,292
At-Bats 12,364 7,706
Runs 2,174 1,798
Hits 3,771 2,654
Doubles 624 525
Triples 98 71
Home Runs 755 521
RBI 2,297 1,839
Walks 1,402 2,021
Strikeouts 1,383 709
Stolen Bases 240 24
Batting Avg .305 .344
On-Base % .374 .482
Slugging % .555 .634
OPS .928 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.

Hank Aaron
78,640
Career PIV · 3,419 per season (23 seasons)
Ted Williams
96,302
Career PIV · 5,069 per season (19 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

Ted Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS

19411.287 OPS37 HR, 120 RBI, .406 avg
19571.257 OPS38 HR, 87 RBI, .388 avg
19551.200 OPS28 HR, 83 RBI, .356 avg

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

See These Players in Another Era