Roy Campanella vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays 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). Roy Campanella played 1948–1957 as a hitter; Willie Mays played 1951–1973 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
Roy Campanella (1948–1957) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Roy Campanella finished with 1,427 hits and 260 home runs; Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Willie Mays, with 660 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Roy Campanella's 1,015.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Roy Campanella's 19,598.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Roy Campanella
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roy Campanella and Willie Mays. 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 | Roy Campanella | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,455 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 5,050 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 787 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 1,427 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 235 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 32 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 260 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | 1,015 | Leads: 1,909 |
| Walks | 608 | Leads: 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 514 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 39 | Leads: 339 |
| Batting Avg | .283 | Leads: .301 |
| On-Base % | .363 | Leads: .384 |
| Slugging % | .496 | Leads: .557 |
| OPS | .859 | Leads: .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Roy Campanella 74,062 to 19,598 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 1,031, across 24 seasons to 19. 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).
Roy Campanella — top 3 seasons by OPS
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Roy Campanella owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Willie Mays. PIV agrees: Willie Mays grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Roy Campanella and Willie Mays careers compare
From 1951 through 1957, Roy Campanella and Willie Mays were in the majors together. The table compares 1,455 games of Roy Campanella with 3,005 of Willie Mays across 19 and 24 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Willie Mays leads every scored row of the table. Plate discipline differs: Roy Campanella walked more often than struck out (608 walks, 514 strikeouts), but Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). On the bases, Willie Mays stole more often per game played (39 steals in 1,455 games for Roy Campanella, 339 in 3,005 for Willie Mays). In on-base percentage, Willie Mays holds the edge, .384 to .363.
Roy Campanella vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Roy Campanella or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Roy Campanella in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Roy Campanella or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Roy Campanella's 260.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Roy Campanella's .859.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Roy Campanella's .283.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Roy Campanella's 1,427.