Barry Bonds vs Eddie Mathews: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds 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). Barry Bonds played 1986–2007 as a hitter; Eddie Mathews played 1952–1968 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
Barry Bonds (1986–2007) and Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 home runs; Eddie Mathews finished with 2,315 hits and 512 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Barry Bonds, with 762 to Eddie Mathews's 512.
- Who had the higher OPS? Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Eddie Mathews's .885.
- Who had the higher batting average? Barry Bonds, with .298 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits? Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Eddie Mathews's 2,315.
- Who drove in more runs? Barry Bonds, with 1,996 to Eddie Mathews's 1,453.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Barry Bonds, with 96,025 career PIV to Eddie Mathews's 45,555.
- Who won more championships? Eddie Mathews, with 2 World Series titles to Barry Bonds's 0.
Barry Bonds
Eddie Mathews
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds and Eddie Mathews. 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 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Barry Bonds | Eddie Mathews |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,986 | 2,391 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,847 | 8,537 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,227 | 1,509 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,935 | 2,315 |
| Doubles | Leads: 601 | 354 |
| Triples | Leads: 77 | 72 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 762 | 512 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,996 | 1,453 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,558 | 1,444 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,539 | 1,487 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 514 | 68 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .298 | .271 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .444 | .376 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .607 | .509 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.051 | .885 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds outpaces Eddie Mathews 96,025 to 45,555 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 4,365 PIV per season to 2,531, across 22 seasons to 18. 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).
Barry Bonds — top 3 seasons by OPS
Eddie Mathews — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Eddie Mathews owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Barry Bonds. PIV agrees: Barry Bonds grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Barry Bonds and Eddie Mathews careers compare
No season is shared: Eddie Mathews played 1952–1968, Barry Bonds 1986–2007. With 2,986 games against 2,391 across 22 and 18 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Every scored category on the table goes to Barry Bonds. Plate discipline differs: Barry Bonds walked more often than struck out (2,558 walks, 1,539 strikeouts), but Eddie Mathews struck out more than walked (1,487 to 1,444). Barry Bonds was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Barry Bonds's slugging percentage of .607 tops Eddie Mathews's .509. Best seasons: 2004 for Barry Bonds (1.422 OPS, 45 HR, 101 RBI, .362 avg) and 1953 for Eddie Mathews (1.033 OPS, 47 HR, 135 RBI, .302 avg).
Barry Bonds vs Eddie Mathews: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Barry Bonds or Eddie Mathews?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Eddie Mathews in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Barry Bonds or Eddie Mathews hit more home runs?
- Barry Bonds, with 762 to Eddie Mathews's 512.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Eddie Mathews's .885.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Barry Bonds, with .298 to Eddie Mathews's .271.
- Who had more hits?
- Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Eddie Mathews's 2,315.