Willard Brown vs Hank Greenberg: Career Stats Comparison
Hank Greenberg has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Willard Brown played 1947–1948 as a hitter; Hank Greenberg played 1930–1947 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
Willard Brown (1947–1948) and Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willard Brown finished with 643 hits and 63 home runs; Hank Greenberg finished with 1,628 hits and 331 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Hank Greenberg, with 331 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS? Hank Greenberg, with 1.017 to Willard Brown's .985.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willard Brown, with .354 to Hank Greenberg's .313.
- Who had more hits? Hank Greenberg, with 1,628 to Willard Brown's 643.
- Who drove in more runs? Hank Greenberg, with 1,276 to Willard Brown's 432.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Hank Greenberg, with 43,523 career PIV to Willard Brown's 11,037.
- Who won more championships? Hank Greenberg, with 2 World Series titles to Willard Brown's 1.
Willard Brown
Hank Greenberg
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willard Brown and Hank Greenberg. 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 1940s and the 1930s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Willard Brown | Hank Greenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 473 | Leads: 1,394 |
| At-Bats | 1,818 | Leads: 5,193 |
| Runs | 368 | Leads: 1,051 |
| Hits | 643 | Leads: 1,628 |
| Doubles | 139 | Leads: 379 |
| Triples | 46 | Leads: 71 |
| Home Runs | 63 | Leads: 331 |
| RBI | 432 | Leads: 1,276 |
| Walks | 137 | Leads: 852 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 16 | 844 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 95 | 58 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .354 | .313 |
| On-Base % | .400 | Leads: .412 |
| Slugging % | .585 | Leads: .605 |
| OPS | .985 | Leads: 1.017 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Hank Greenberg outpaces Willard Brown 43,523 to 11,037 — driven by per-season impact — 3,348 PIV per season to 788 — rather than by longevity, since Hank Greenberg played 13 seasons to Willard Brown's 14. 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).
Willard Brown
No seasons meet the qualifying workload, so there is no peak-season list to show.
Hank Greenberg — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Hank Greenberg leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Willard Brown owns stolen bases and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Hank Greenberg. PIV agrees: Hank Greenberg grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Willard Brown and Hank Greenberg careers compare
The careers of Willard Brown (1947–1948) and Hank Greenberg (1930–1947) overlapped from 1947 to 1947, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Hank Greenberg has the far longer record, 1,394 games against 473 across 14 and 13 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Willard Brown are stolen bases (95 to 58) and batting average (.354 to .313). Willard Brown walked more often than struck out (137 walks, 16 strikeouts); Hank Greenberg walked more often than struck out (852 walks, 844 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Hank Greenberg's hits: 63 of 643 for Willard Brown, 331 of 1,628 for Hank Greenberg.
Willard Brown vs Hank Greenberg: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willard Brown or Hank Greenberg?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Hank Greenberg leads Willard Brown in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willard Brown or Hank Greenberg hit more home runs?
- Hank Greenberg, with 331 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Hank Greenberg, with 1.017 to Willard Brown's .985.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willard Brown, with .354 to Hank Greenberg's .313.
- Who had more hits?
- Hank Greenberg, with 1,628 to Willard Brown's 643.