Bobby Bonds vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Bobby Bonds played 1968–1981 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
Bobby Bonds (1968–1981) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Bobby Bonds finished with 1,886 hits and 332 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 Bobby Bonds's 332.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Bobby Bonds's .824.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Bobby Bonds's .268.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Bobby Bonds's 1,886.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Bobby Bonds's 1,024.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Bobby Bonds's 25,739.
- Who won more championships? Willie Mays, with 1 World Series title to Bobby Bonds's 0.
Bobby Bonds
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bobby 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 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Bobby Bonds | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,849 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 7,043 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 1,258 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 1,886 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 302 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 66 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 332 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | 1,024 | Leads: 1,909 |
| Walks | 914 | Leads: 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,757 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 461 | 339 |
| Batting Avg | .268 | Leads: .301 |
| On-Base % | .353 | Leads: .384 |
| Slugging % | .471 | Leads: .557 |
| OPS | .824 | Leads: .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Bobby Bonds 74,062 to 25,739 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 1,716, 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).
Bobby Bonds — 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 Bobby Bonds owns stolen bases. 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 Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays careers compare
From 1968 through 1973, Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays were in the majors together. The table compares 1,849 games of Bobby Bonds with 3,005 of Willie Mays across 15 and 24 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Bobby Bonds are stolen bases (461 to 339). Bobby Bonds struck out more than walked (1,757 to 914); Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). Bobby Bonds was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Best seasons: 1973 for Bobby Bonds (.900 OPS, 39 HR, 96 RBI, .283 avg) and 1954 for Willie Mays (1.078 OPS, 41 HR, 110 RBI, .345 avg).
Bobby Bonds vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bobby Bonds or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Bobby Bonds in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bobby Bonds or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Bobby Bonds's 332.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Bobby Bonds's .824.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Bobby Bonds's .268.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Bobby Bonds's 1,886.