Willard Brown vs Ted Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Ted Williams 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; Ted Williams played 1939–1960 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 Ted Williams (1939–1960) — 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; Ted Williams finished with 2,654 hits and 521 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ted Williams, with 521 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Willard Brown's .985.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willard Brown, with .354 to Ted Williams's .344.
- Who had more hits? Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Willard Brown's 643.
- Who drove in more runs? Ted Williams, with 1,839 to Willard Brown's 432.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ted Williams, with 96,302 career PIV to Willard Brown's 11,037.
- Who won more championships? Willard Brown, with 1 World Series title to Ted Williams's 0.
Willard Brown
Ted Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willard Brown and Ted Williams. 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 | Ted Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 473 | Leads: 2,292 |
| At-Bats | 1,818 | Leads: 7,706 |
| Runs | 368 | Leads: 1,798 |
| Hits | 643 | Leads: 2,654 |
| Doubles | 139 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 46 | Leads: 71 |
| Home Runs | 63 | Leads: 521 |
| RBI | 432 | Leads: 1,839 |
| Walks | 137 | Leads: 2,021 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 16 | 709 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 95 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .354 | .344 |
| On-Base % | .400 | Leads: .482 |
| Slugging % | .585 | Leads: .634 |
| OPS | .985 | Leads: 1.116 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Williams outpaces Willard Brown 96,302 to 11,037 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,069 PIV per season to 788, across 19 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.
Ted Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ted Williams 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 Ted Williams. PIV agrees: Ted Williams 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 Ted Williams careers compare
Willard Brown and Ted Williams were active at the same time between 1947 and 1948. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Willard Brown appeared in 473 games to Ted Williams's 2,292. Willard Brown's edges on the table are stolen bases (95 to 24) and batting average (.354 to .344). Willard Brown walked more often than struck out (137 walks, 16 strikeouts); Ted Williams walked more often than struck out (2,021 walks, 709 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Ted Williams's hits: 63 of 643 for Willard Brown, 521 of 2,654 for Ted Williams. Ted Williams's on-base percentage of .482 tops Willard Brown's .400.
Willard Brown vs Ted Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willard Brown or Ted Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ted Williams leads Willard Brown in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willard Brown or Ted Williams hit more home runs?
- Ted Williams, with 521 to Willard Brown's 63.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Willard Brown's .985.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willard Brown, with .354 to Ted Williams's .344.
- Who had more hits?
- Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Willard Brown's 643.