Norm Cash vs Bill Freehan: Career Stats Comparison
Norm Cash has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Norm Cash played 1958–1974 as a hitter; Bill Freehan played 1961–1976 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
Norm Cash (1958–1974) and Bill Freehan (1961–1976) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Norm Cash finished with 1,820 hits and 377 home runs; Bill Freehan finished with 1,591 hits and 200 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Norm Cash, with 377 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Norm Cash, with .862 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average? Norm Cash, with .271 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits? Norm Cash, with 1,820 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.
- Who drove in more runs? Norm Cash, with 1,103 to Bill Freehan's 758.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Norm Cash, with 35,059 career PIV to Bill Freehan's 12,940.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Norm Cash
Bill Freehan
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Norm Cash and Bill Freehan. 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 1950s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Norm Cash | Bill Freehan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,089 | 1,774 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 6,705 | 6,073 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,046 | 706 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,820 | 1,591 |
| Doubles | 241 | 241 |
| Triples | Leads: 41 | 35 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 377 | 200 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,103 | 758 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,043 | 626 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,091 | 753 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 43 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .271 | .262 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .374 | .340 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .488 | .412 |
| OPS | Leads: .862 | .752 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Norm Cash outpaces Bill Freehan 35,059 to 12,940 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,062 PIV per season to 863, across 17 seasons to 15. 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).
Norm Cash — top 3 seasons by OPS
Bill Freehan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Norm Cash leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Freehan owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Norm Cash. PIV agrees: Norm Cash grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Norm Cash and Bill Freehan careers compare
The careers of Norm Cash (1958–1974) and Bill Freehan (1961–1976) overlapped from 1961 to 1974, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,089 games for Norm Cash and 1,774 for Bill Freehan across 17 and 15 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Norm Cash leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Norm Cash struck out more than walked (1,091 to 1,043), and Bill Freehan struck out more than walked (753 to 626). Norm Cash is the more power-leaning hitter, with 377 of 1,820 hits leaving the park. In slugging percentage, Norm Cash holds the edge, .488 to .412.
Norm Cash vs Bill Freehan: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Norm Cash or Bill Freehan?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Norm Cash leads Bill Freehan in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Norm Cash or Bill Freehan hit more home runs?
- Norm Cash, with 377 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Norm Cash, with .862 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Norm Cash, with .271 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits?
- Norm Cash, with 1,820 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.