Lou Brock vs Willie Stargell: Career Stats Comparison

Lou Brock (1961–1979) and Willie Stargell (1962–1982) — both broke in during the 1960s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Lou Brock finished with 3,023 hits and 149 home runs; Willie Stargell finished with 2,232 hits and 475 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Lou Brock

Hitter · 1961–1979
Games
2,616
Hits
3,023
Home Runs
149
RBI
900
Avg
.293
OPS
.753
View Lou Brock's full profile →

Willie Stargell

Hitter · 1962–1982
Games
2,360
Hits
2,232
Home Runs
475
RBI
1,540
Avg
.282
OPS
.889
View Willie Stargell's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lou Brock and Willie Stargell. 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 Stargell
Games 2,616 2,360
At-Bats 10,332 7,927
Runs 1,610 1,194
Hits 3,023 2,232
Doubles 486 423
Triples 141 55
Home Runs 149 475
RBI 900 1,540
Walks 761 937
Strikeouts 1,730 1,936
Stolen Bases 938 17
Batting Avg .293 .282
On-Base % .343 .360
Slugging % .410 .529
OPS .753 .889

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Stargell outpaces Lou Brock 42,804 to 18,115 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,038 vs 906 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Lou Brock
18,115
Career PIV · 906 per season (20 seasons)
Willie Stargell
42,804
Career PIV · 2,038 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1964.915 OPS12 HR, 44 RBI, .348 avg
1971.810 OPS7 HR, 61 RBI, .312 avg
1967.799 OPS21 HR, 76 RBI, .299 avg

Willie Stargell — top 3 seasons by OPS

19731.038 OPS44 HR, 119 RBI, .299 avg
19711.026 OPS48 HR, 125 RBI, .295 avg
1966.962 OPS33 HR, 102 RBI, .315 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Willie Stargell leads in home runs, RBI, OBP, and OPS, while Lou Brock owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Willie Stargell. PIV agrees: Willie Stargell grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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