Ronald Acuña vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Ronald Acuña has played 2018–present as a hitter; Willie Mays played 1951–1973 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
Ronald Acuña (2018–present) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — they broke in during the 2010s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ronald Acuña has 1,017 hits and 206 home runs through October 6, 2026; Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Willie Mays, with 660 to Ronald Acuña's 206.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Ronald Acuña's .895.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Ronald Acuña's .285.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Ronald Acuña's 1,017.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Ronald Acuña's 514.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Ronald Acuña's 16,199.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Ronald Acuña
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ronald Acuña and Willie Mays. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 2010s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Ronald Acuña is still active — his totals below are current through October 6, 2026.
| Statistic | Ronald Acuña | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 923 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 3,564 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 716 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 1,017 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 175 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 14 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 206 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | 514 | Leads: 1,909 |
| Walks | 492 | Leads: 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 924 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 226 | Leads: 339 |
| Batting Avg | .285 | Leads: .301 |
| On-Base % | .379 | Leads: .384 |
| Slugging % | .516 | Leads: .557 |
| OPS | .895 | Leads: .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Ronald Acuña 74,062 to 16,199 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 2,025, across 24 seasons to 8. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Ronald Acuña — top 3 seasons by OPS
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ronald Acuña owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Willie Mays. PIV agrees: Willie Mays grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ronald Acuña and Willie Mays careers compare
Willie Mays (1951–1973) was finished before Ronald Acuña (2018–present) arrived, so they never shared a league. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Ronald Acuña has appeared in 923 games to Willie Mays's 3,005. Every scored category on the table goes to Willie Mays. At the plate, Ronald Acuña struck out more than walked (924 to 492), and Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). Ronald Acuña was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Best seasons: 2023 for Ronald Acuña (1.012 OPS, 41 HR, 106 RBI, .337 avg) and 1954 for Willie Mays (1.078 OPS, 41 HR, 110 RBI, .345 avg). Because Ronald Acuña is still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
Ronald Acuña vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ronald Acuña or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Ronald Acuña in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ronald Acuña or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Ronald Acuña's 206.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Ronald Acuña's .895.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Ronald Acuña's .285.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Ronald Acuña's 1,017.