Barry Bonds vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Barry Bonds has the better career line of the two, leading 9 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; 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
Barry Bonds (1986–2007) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — 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; 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? Barry Bonds, with 762 to Willie Mays's 660.
- Who had the higher OPS? Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Willie Mays's .940.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Barry Bonds's 2,935.
- Who drove in more runs? Barry Bonds, with 1,996 to Willie Mays's 1,909.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Barry Bonds, with 96,025 career PIV to Willie Mays's 74,062.
- Who won more championships? Willie Mays, with 1 World Series title to Barry Bonds's 0.
Barry Bonds
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds 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 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 | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,986 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 9,847 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,227 | 2,068 |
| Hits | 2,935 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | Leads: 601 | 525 |
| Triples | 77 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 762 | 660 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,996 | 1,909 |
| Walks | Leads: 2,558 | 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,539 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 514 | 339 |
| Batting Avg | .298 | Leads: .301 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .444 | .384 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .607 | .557 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.051 | .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds leads Willie Mays 96,025 to 74,062 — driven by per-season impact — 4,365 PIV per season to 3,086 — rather than by longevity, since Barry Bonds played 22 seasons to Willie Mays's 24. 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
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Willie Mays owns hits and batting average. 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 Willie Mays careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Willie Mays's ended in 1973, and Barry Bonds debuted in 1986. With 2,986 games against 3,005 across 22 and 24 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. At the plate, Barry Bonds walked more often than struck out (2,558 walks, 1,539 strikeouts), while Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). On the bases, Barry Bonds stole more often per game played (514 steals in 2,986 games for Barry Bonds, 339 in 3,005 for Willie Mays). On the peak-season lists, Barry Bonds's best year is 2004 at 1.422 OPS and Willie Mays's is 1954 at 1.078 OPS; Barry Bonds has the stronger single season.
Barry Bonds vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Barry Bonds or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Willie Mays in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Barry Bonds or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Barry Bonds, with 762 to Willie Mays's 660.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Willie Mays's .940.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Barry Bonds's .298.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Barry Bonds's 2,935.