Michael Busch vs Albert Pujols: Career Stats Comparison
Albert Pujols has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Michael Busch has played 2023–present as a hitter; Albert Pujols played 2001–2022 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
Michael Busch (2023–present) and Albert Pujols (2001–2022) — they broke in during the 2020s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Michael Busch has 417 hits and 77 home runs through October 6, 2026; Albert Pujols finished with 3,384 hits and 703 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Albert Pujols, with 703 to Michael Busch's 77.
- Who had the higher OPS? Albert Pujols, with .918 to Michael Busch's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average? Albert Pujols, with .296 to Michael Busch's .246.
- Who had more hits? Albert Pujols, with 3,384 to Michael Busch's 417.
- Who drove in more runs? Albert Pujols, with 2,218 to Michael Busch's 239.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Albert Pujols, with 58,591 career PIV to Michael Busch's 2,777.
- Who won more championships? Albert Pujols, with 2 World Series titles to Michael Busch's 0.
Michael Busch
Albert Pujols
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Michael Busch and Albert Pujols. 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 2020s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Michael Busch is still active — his totals below are current through October 6, 2026.
| Statistic | Michael Busch | Albert Pujols |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 494 | Leads: 3,080 |
| At-Bats | 1,692 | Leads: 11,421 |
| Runs | 238 | Leads: 1,914 |
| Hits | 417 | Leads: 3,384 |
| Doubles | 83 | Leads: 686 |
| Triples | 9 | Leads: 16 |
| Home Runs | 77 | Leads: 703 |
| RBI | 239 | Leads: 2,218 |
| Walks | 219 | Leads: 1,373 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 493 | 1,404 |
| Stolen Bases | 10 | Leads: 117 |
| Batting Avg | .246 | Leads: .296 |
| On-Base % | .340 | Leads: .374 |
| Slugging % | .443 | Leads: .544 |
| OPS | .783 | Leads: .918 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Albert Pujols outpaces Michael Busch 58,591 to 2,777 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,547 PIV per season to 926, across 23 seasons to 3. 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).
Michael Busch — top 3 seasons by OPS
Albert Pujols — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Albert Pujols leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Michael Busch owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Albert Pujols. PIV agrees: Albert Pujols grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Michael Busch and Albert Pujols careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Albert Pujols's ended in 2022, and Michael Busch debuted in 2023. The table compares 494 games of Michael Busch with 3,080 of Albert Pujols across 3 and 23 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Every scored category on the table goes to Albert Pujols. At the plate, Michael Busch struck out more than walked (493 to 219), and Albert Pujols struck out more than walked (1,404 to 1,373). On the bases, Albert Pujols stole more often per game played (10 steals in 494 games for Michael Busch, 117 in 3,080 for Albert Pujols). In on-base percentage, Albert Pujols holds the edge, .374 to .340. Because Michael Busch is still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
Michael Busch vs Albert Pujols: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Michael Busch or Albert Pujols?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Albert Pujols leads Michael Busch in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Michael Busch or Albert Pujols hit more home runs?
- Albert Pujols, with 703 to Michael Busch's 77.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Albert Pujols, with .918 to Michael Busch's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Albert Pujols, with .296 to Michael Busch's .246.
- Who had more hits?
- Albert Pujols, with 3,384 to Michael Busch's 417.