Harold Baines vs Bernie Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Bernie Williams has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Harold Baines played 1980–2001 as a hitter; Bernie Williams played 1991–2006 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
Harold Baines (1980–2001) and Bernie Williams (1991–2006) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Harold Baines finished with 2,866 hits and 384 home runs; Bernie Williams finished with 2,336 hits and 287 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Harold Baines, with 384 to Bernie Williams's 287.
- Who had the higher OPS? Bernie Williams, with .858 to Harold Baines's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average? Bernie Williams, with .297 to Harold Baines's .289.
- Who had more hits? Harold Baines, with 2,866 to Bernie Williams's 2,336.
- Who drove in more runs? Harold Baines, with 1,628 to Bernie Williams's 1,257.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Harold Baines, with 25,497 career PIV to Bernie Williams's 24,401.
- Who won more championships? Bernie Williams, with 4 World Series titles to Harold Baines's 0.
Harold Baines
Bernie Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harold Baines and Bernie Williams. 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 1980s and the 1990s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Harold Baines | Bernie Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,830 | 2,076 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,908 | 7,869 |
| Runs | 1,299 | Leads: 1,366 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,866 | 2,336 |
| Doubles | Leads: 488 | 449 |
| Triples | 49 | Leads: 55 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 384 | 287 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,628 | 1,257 |
| Walks | 1,062 | Leads: 1,069 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,441 | 1,212 |
| Stolen Bases | 34 | Leads: 147 |
| Batting Avg | .289 | Leads: .297 |
| On-Base % | .356 | Leads: .381 |
| Slugging % | .465 | Leads: .477 |
| OPS | .820 | Leads: .858 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harold Baines edges Bernie Williams 25,497 to 24,401 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Harold Baines played 27 seasons to Bernie Williams's 16, while Bernie Williams carries the higher per-season figure (1,525 to 944). 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).
Harold Baines — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bernie Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Bernie Williams leads in runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Harold Baines owns hits, home runs, and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Bernie Williams. Note that PIV actually grades Harold Baines ahead, which means Bernie Williams's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Harold Baines and Bernie Williams careers compare
The careers of Harold Baines (1980–2001) and Bernie Williams (1991–2006) overlapped from 1991 to 2001, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,830 games against 2,076 across 27 and 16 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. At the plate, Harold Baines struck out more than walked (1,441 to 1,062), and Bernie Williams struck out more than walked (1,212 to 1,069). On the bases, Bernie Williams stole more often per game played (34 steals in 2,830 games for Harold Baines, 147 in 2,076 for Bernie Williams).
Harold Baines vs Bernie Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Harold Baines or Bernie Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Bernie Williams leads Harold Baines in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Harold Baines or Bernie Williams hit more home runs?
- Harold Baines, with 384 to Bernie Williams's 287.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Bernie Williams, with .858 to Harold Baines's .820.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Bernie Williams, with .297 to Harold Baines's .289.
- Who had more hits?
- Harold Baines, with 2,866 to Bernie Williams's 2,336.