Smoky Burgess vs Harmon Killebrew: Career Stats Comparison
Harmon Killebrew 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). Smoky Burgess played 1949–1967 as a hitter; Harmon Killebrew played 1954–1975 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
Smoky Burgess (1949–1967) and Harmon Killebrew (1954–1975) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Smoky Burgess finished with 1,318 hits and 126 home runs; Harmon Killebrew finished with 2,086 hits and 573 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Harmon Killebrew, with 573 to Smoky Burgess's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS? Harmon Killebrew, with .884 to Smoky Burgess's .807.
- Who had the higher batting average? Smoky Burgess, with .295 to Harmon Killebrew's .256.
- Who had more hits? Harmon Killebrew, with 2,086 to Smoky Burgess's 1,318.
- Who drove in more runs? Harmon Killebrew, with 1,584 to Smoky Burgess's 673.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Harmon Killebrew, with 48,240 career PIV to Smoky Burgess's 11,198.
- Who won more championships? Smoky Burgess, with 1 World Series title to Harmon Killebrew's 0.
Smoky Burgess
Harmon Killebrew
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Smoky Burgess and Harmon Killebrew. 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 | Smoky Burgess | Harmon Killebrew |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,691 | Leads: 2,435 |
| At-Bats | 4,471 | Leads: 8,147 |
| Runs | 485 | Leads: 1,283 |
| Hits | 1,318 | Leads: 2,086 |
| Doubles | 230 | Leads: 290 |
| Triples | Leads: 33 | 24 |
| Home Runs | 126 | Leads: 573 |
| RBI | 673 | Leads: 1,584 |
| Walks | 477 | Leads: 1,559 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 270 | 1,699 |
| Stolen Bases | 13 | Leads: 19 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .295 | .256 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | .446 | Leads: .509 |
| OPS | .807 | Leads: .884 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harmon Killebrew outpaces Smoky Burgess 48,240 to 11,198 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,193 PIV per season to 560, across 22 seasons to 20. 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).
Smoky Burgess — top 3 seasons by OPS
Harmon Killebrew — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Harmon Killebrew leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Smoky Burgess owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Harmon Killebrew. PIV agrees: Harmon Killebrew grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Smoky Burgess and Harmon Killebrew careers compare
The careers of Smoky Burgess (1949–1967) and Harmon Killebrew (1954–1975) overlapped from 1954 to 1967, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,691 games for Smoky Burgess and 2,435 for Harmon Killebrew across 20 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Smoky Burgess's edges on the table are triples (33 to 24) and batting average (.295 to .256). Plate discipline differs: Smoky Burgess walked more often than struck out (477 walks, 270 strikeouts), but Harmon Killebrew struck out more than walked (1,699 to 1,559).
Smoky Burgess vs Harmon Killebrew: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Smoky Burgess or Harmon Killebrew?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Harmon Killebrew leads Smoky Burgess in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Smoky Burgess or Harmon Killebrew hit more home runs?
- Harmon Killebrew, with 573 to Smoky Burgess's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Harmon Killebrew, with .884 to Smoky Burgess's .807.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Smoky Burgess, with .295 to Harmon Killebrew's .256.
- Who had more hits?
- Harmon Killebrew, with 2,086 to Smoky Burgess's 1,318.