Smoky Burgess vs Buster Posey: Career Stats Comparison
Buster Posey 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; Buster Posey played 2009–2021 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 Buster Posey (2009–2021) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Smoky Burgess finished with 1,318 hits and 126 home runs; Buster Posey finished with 1,500 hits and 158 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Buster Posey, with 158 to Smoky Burgess's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS? Buster Posey, with .831 to Smoky Burgess's .807.
- Who had the higher batting average? Buster Posey, with .302 to Smoky Burgess's .295.
- Who had more hits? Buster Posey, with 1,500 to Smoky Burgess's 1,318.
- Who drove in more runs? Buster Posey, with 729 to Smoky Burgess's 673.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Buster Posey, with 15,615 career PIV to Smoky Burgess's 11,198.
- Who won more championships? Buster Posey, with 3 World Series titles to Smoky Burgess's 1.
Smoky Burgess
Buster Posey
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Smoky Burgess and Buster Posey. 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 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Smoky Burgess | Buster Posey |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,691 | 1,371 |
| At-Bats | 4,471 | Leads: 4,970 |
| Runs | 485 | Leads: 663 |
| Hits | 1,318 | Leads: 1,500 |
| Doubles | 230 | Leads: 293 |
| Triples | Leads: 33 | 9 |
| Home Runs | 126 | Leads: 158 |
| RBI | 673 | Leads: 729 |
| Walks | 477 | Leads: 540 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 270 | 721 |
| Stolen Bases | 13 | Leads: 23 |
| Batting Avg | .295 | Leads: .302 |
| On-Base % | .362 | Leads: .372 |
| Slugging % | .446 | Leads: .460 |
| OPS | .807 | Leads: .831 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Buster Posey outpaces Smoky Burgess 15,615 to 11,198 — driven by per-season impact — 1,301 PIV per season to 560 — rather than by longevity, since Buster Posey played 12 seasons to Smoky Burgess's 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
Buster Posey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Buster Posey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Smoky Burgess owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Buster Posey. PIV agrees: Buster Posey 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 Buster Posey careers compare
No season is shared: Smoky Burgess played 1949–1967, Buster Posey 2009–2021. The two careers are close in length, 1,691 games for Smoky Burgess and 1,371 for Buster Posey across 20 and 12 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Smoky Burgess are games (1,691 to 1,371) and triples (33 to 9). At the plate, Smoky Burgess walked more often than struck out (477 walks, 270 strikeouts), while Buster Posey struck out more than walked (721 to 540). In slugging percentage, Buster Posey holds the edge, .460 to .446.
Smoky Burgess vs Buster Posey: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Smoky Burgess or Buster Posey?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Buster Posey leads Smoky Burgess in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Smoky Burgess or Buster Posey hit more home runs?
- Buster Posey, with 158 to Smoky Burgess's 126.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Buster Posey, with .831 to Smoky Burgess's .807.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Buster Posey, with .302 to Smoky Burgess's .295.
- Who had more hits?
- Buster Posey, with 1,500 to Smoky Burgess's 1,318.