Lou Brock vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Lou Brock (1961–1979) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Lou Brock finished with 3,023 hits and 149 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.
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lou Brock and Willie Mays. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Lou Brock | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,616 | 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 10,332 | 10,924 |
| Runs | 1,610 | 2,068 |
| Hits | 3,023 | 3,293 |
| Doubles | 486 | 525 |
| Triples | 141 | 141 |
| Home Runs | 149 | 660 |
| RBI | 900 | 1,909 |
| Walks | 761 | 1,468 |
| Strikeouts | 1,730 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 938 | 339 |
| Batting Avg | .293 | .301 |
| On-Base % | .343 | .384 |
| Slugging % | .410 | .557 |
| OPS | .753 | .940 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Lou Brock 74,062 to 18,115 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,086 vs 906 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Lou Brock — 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 Lou Brock 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.