Willard Brown vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays has the better career line of the two, leading 10 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; 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
Willard Brown (1947–1948) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willard Brown finished with 643 hits and 63 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 Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willard Brown, with .985 to Willie Mays's .940.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willard Brown, with .354 to Willie Mays's .301.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Willard Brown's 643.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Willard Brown's 432.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Willard Brown's 11,037.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Willard Brown
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willard Brown 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 1940s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Willard Brown | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 473 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 1,818 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 368 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 643 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 139 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 46 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 63 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | 432 | Leads: 1,909 |
| Walks | 137 | Leads: 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 16 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 95 | Leads: 339 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .354 | .301 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .400 | .384 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .585 | .557 |
| OPS | Leads: .985 | .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Willard Brown 74,062 to 11,037 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 788, across 24 seasons to 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.
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 Willard Brown owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. 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 Willard Brown and Willie Mays careers compare
No season is shared: Willard Brown played 1947–1948, Willie Mays 1951–1973. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Willard Brown appeared in 473 games to Willie Mays's 3,005. The green cells for Willard Brown are batting average (.354 to .301), on-base percentage (.400 to .384), and slugging percentage (.585 to .557). Plate discipline differs: Willard Brown walked more often than struck out (137 walks, 16 strikeouts), but Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). Willie Mays is the more power-leaning hitter, with 660 of 3,293 hits leaving the park.
Willard Brown vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willard Brown or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Willard Brown in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willard Brown or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willard Brown, with .985 to Willie Mays's .940.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willard Brown, with .354 to Willie Mays's .301.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Willard Brown's 643.