Smoky Burgess vs Tony Perez: Career Stats Comparison
Tony Perez has the better career line of the two, leading 11 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; Tony Perez played 1964–1986 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 Tony Perez (1964–1986) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Smoky Burgess finished with 1,318 hits and 126 home runs; Tony Perez finished with 2,732 hits and 379 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Tony Perez, with 379 to Smoky Burgess's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS? Smoky Burgess, with .807 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average? Smoky Burgess, with .295 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits? Tony Perez, with 2,732 to Smoky Burgess's 1,318.
- Who drove in more runs? Tony Perez, with 1,652 to Smoky Burgess's 673.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Tony Perez, with 28,896 career PIV to Smoky Burgess's 11,198.
- Who won more championships? Tony Perez, with 2 World Series titles to Smoky Burgess's 1.
Smoky Burgess
Tony Perez
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Smoky Burgess and Tony Perez. 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 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Smoky Burgess | Tony Perez |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,691 | Leads: 2,777 |
| At-Bats | 4,471 | Leads: 9,778 |
| Runs | 485 | Leads: 1,272 |
| Hits | 1,318 | Leads: 2,732 |
| Doubles | 230 | Leads: 505 |
| Triples | 33 | Leads: 79 |
| Home Runs | 126 | Leads: 379 |
| RBI | 673 | Leads: 1,652 |
| Walks | 477 | Leads: 925 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 270 | 1,867 |
| Stolen Bases | 13 | Leads: 49 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .295 | .279 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .362 | .341 |
| Slugging % | .446 | Leads: .463 |
| OPS | Leads: .807 | .804 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Tony Perez outpaces Smoky Burgess 28,896 to 11,198 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,256 PIV per season to 560, across 23 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
Tony Perez — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Tony Perez leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Smoky Burgess owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tony Perez. PIV agrees: Tony Perez 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 Tony Perez careers compare
From 1964 through 1967, Smoky Burgess and Tony Perez were in the majors together. The table compares 1,691 games of Smoky Burgess with 2,777 of Tony Perez across 20 and 23 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Smoky Burgess are batting average (.295 to .279), on-base percentage (.362 to .341), and OPS (.807 to .804). Plate discipline differs: Smoky Burgess walked more often than struck out (477 walks, 270 strikeouts), but Tony Perez struck out more than walked (1,867 to 925). Home runs make up a larger share of Tony Perez's hits: 126 of 1,318 for Smoky Burgess, 379 of 2,732 for Tony Perez.
Smoky Burgess vs Tony Perez: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Smoky Burgess or Tony Perez?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Tony Perez leads Smoky Burgess in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Smoky Burgess or Tony Perez hit more home runs?
- Tony Perez, with 379 to Smoky Burgess's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Smoky Burgess, with .807 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Smoky Burgess, with .295 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Tony Perez, with 2,732 to Smoky Burgess's 1,318.