Mookie Betts 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). Mookie Betts has played 2014–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
Mookie Betts (2014–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. Mookie Betts has 1,890 hits and 314 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 Mookie Betts's 314.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Mookie Betts's .874.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Mookie Betts's .288.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Mookie Betts's 1,890.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Mookie Betts's 982.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Mookie Betts's 25,700.
- Who won more championships? Mookie Betts, with 4 World Series titles to Willie Mays's 1.
Mookie Betts
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Mookie Betts 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.
Mookie Betts is still active — his totals below are current through October 6, 2026.
| Statistic | Mookie Betts | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,654 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 6,561 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 1,237 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 1,890 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 419 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 41 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 314 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | 982 | Leads: 1,909 |
| Walks | 783 | Leads: 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 982 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 198 | Leads: 339 |
| Batting Avg | .288 | Leads: .301 |
| On-Base % | .366 | Leads: .384 |
| Slugging % | .508 | Leads: .557 |
| OPS | .874 | Leads: .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Mookie Betts 74,062 to 25,700 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 2,142, across 24 seasons to 12. 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).
Mookie Betts — 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 Mookie Betts 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 Mookie Betts and Willie Mays careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Willie Mays's ended in 1973, and Mookie Betts debuted in 2014. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Mookie Betts has appeared in 1,654 games to Willie Mays's 3,005. Every scored category on the table goes to Willie Mays. At the plate, Mookie Betts struck out more than walked (982 to 783), and Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). On the bases, Mookie Betts stole more often per game played (198 steals in 1,654 games for Mookie Betts, 339 in 3,005 for Willie Mays). Willie Mays's slugging percentage of .557 tops Mookie Betts's .508. Mookie Betts's numbers are live and update with each game, so the comparison is a snapshot.
Mookie Betts vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Mookie Betts or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Mookie Betts in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Mookie Betts or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Mookie Betts's 314.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Mookie Betts's .874.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Mookie Betts's .288.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Mookie Betts's 1,890.