Ken Boyer vs Bill Freehan: Career Stats Comparison
Ken Boyer 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). Ken Boyer played 1955–1969 as a hitter; Bill Freehan played 1961–1976 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
Ken Boyer (1955–1969) and Bill Freehan (1961–1976) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ken Boyer finished with 2,143 hits and 282 home runs; Bill Freehan finished with 1,591 hits and 200 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ken Boyer, with 282 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ken Boyer, with .810 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ken Boyer, with .287 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits? Ken Boyer, with 2,143 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.
- Who drove in more runs? Ken Boyer, with 1,141 to Bill Freehan's 758.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Boyer, with 22,279 career PIV to Bill Freehan's 12,940.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Ken Boyer
Bill Freehan
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ken Boyer and Bill Freehan. 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 1950s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ken Boyer | Bill Freehan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,034 | 1,774 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,455 | 6,073 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,104 | 706 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,143 | 1,591 |
| Doubles | Leads: 318 | 241 |
| Triples | Leads: 68 | 35 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 282 | 200 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,141 | 758 |
| Walks | Leads: 713 | 626 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,017 | 753 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 105 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .287 | .262 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .349 | .340 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .462 | .412 |
| OPS | Leads: .810 | .752 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Boyer outpaces Bill Freehan 22,279 to 12,940 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,311 PIV per season to 863, across 17 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).
Ken Boyer — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bill Freehan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ken Boyer leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Freehan owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ken Boyer. PIV agrees: Ken Boyer grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ken Boyer and Bill Freehan careers compare
The careers of Ken Boyer (1955–1969) and Bill Freehan (1961–1976) overlapped from 1961 to 1969, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,034 games against 1,774 across 17 and 15 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Every scored category on the table goes to Ken Boyer. At the plate, Ken Boyer struck out more than walked (1,017 to 713), and Bill Freehan struck out more than walked (753 to 626). On the bases, Ken Boyer stole more often per game played (105 steals in 2,034 games for Ken Boyer, 24 in 1,774 for Bill Freehan). Ken Boyer's on-base percentage of .349 tops Bill Freehan's .340.
Ken Boyer vs Bill Freehan: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ken Boyer or Bill Freehan?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Boyer leads Bill Freehan in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ken Boyer or Bill Freehan hit more home runs?
- Ken Boyer, with 282 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ken Boyer, with .810 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ken Boyer, with .287 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits?
- Ken Boyer, with 2,143 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.