Dick Allen 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). Dick Allen played 1963–1977 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
Dick Allen (1963–1977) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Dick Allen finished with 1,848 hits and 351 home runs; 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 Dick Allen's 351.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Dick Allen's .912.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Dick Allen's .292.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Dick Allen's 1,848.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Dick Allen's 1,119.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Dick Allen's 40,487.
- Who won more championships? Willie Mays, with 1 World Series title to Dick Allen's 0.
Dick Allen
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Dick Allen 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 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Dick Allen | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,749 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 6,332 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 1,099 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 1,848 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 320 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 79 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 351 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | 1,119 | Leads: 1,909 |
| Walks | 894 | Leads: 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,556 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 133 | Leads: 339 |
| Batting Avg | .292 | Leads: .301 |
| On-Base % | .378 | Leads: .384 |
| Slugging % | .534 | Leads: .557 |
| OPS | .912 | Leads: .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Dick Allen 74,062 to 40,487 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 2,699, across 24 seasons to 15. 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).
Dick Allen — 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 Dick Allen 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 Dick Allen and Willie Mays careers compare
From 1963 through 1973, Dick Allen and Willie Mays were in the majors together. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Dick Allen appeared in 1,749 games to Willie Mays's 3,005. Willie Mays leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Dick Allen struck out more than walked (1,556 to 894), and Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). Willie Mays was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Willie Mays holds the edge, .557 to .534.
Dick Allen vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Dick Allen or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Dick Allen in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Dick Allen or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Dick Allen's 351.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Dick Allen's .912.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Dick Allen's .292.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Dick Allen's 1,848.