Oscar Charleston vs Ted Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Ted Williams 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). Oscar Charleston played ?–1941 as a hitter; Ted Williams played 1939–1960 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
Oscar Charleston (?–1941) and Ted Williams (1939–1960) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Oscar Charleston finished with 1,718 hits and 183 home runs; Ted Williams finished with 2,654 hits and 521 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ted Williams, with 521 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average? Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Ted Williams's .344.
- Who had more hits? Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.
- Who drove in more runs? Ted Williams, with 1,839 to Oscar Charleston's 1,139.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ted Williams, with 96,302 career PIV to Oscar Charleston's 34,756.
Oscar Charleston
Ted Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Oscar Charleston and Ted Williams. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Oscar Charleston | Ted Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,336 | Leads: 2,292 |
| At-Bats | 4,903 | Leads: 7,706 |
| Runs | 1,164 | Leads: 1,798 |
| Hits | 1,718 | Leads: 2,654 |
| Doubles | 329 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | Leads: 112 | 71 |
| Home Runs | 183 | Leads: 521 |
| RBI | 1,139 | Leads: 1,839 |
| Walks | 647 | Leads: 2,021 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 29 | 709 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 311 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .350 | .344 |
| On-Base % | .430 | Leads: .482 |
| Slugging % | .575 | Leads: .634 |
| OPS | 1.005 | Leads: 1.116 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Williams outpaces Oscar Charleston 96,302 to 34,756 — driven by per-season impact — 5,069 PIV per season to 1,121 — rather than by longevity, since Ted Williams played 19 seasons to Oscar Charleston's 31. 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).
Oscar Charleston — top 2 seasons by OPS
Ted Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ted Williams leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Oscar Charleston owns stolen bases and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ted Williams. PIV agrees: Ted Williams grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Oscar Charleston and Ted Williams careers compare
From 1941 through 1941, Oscar Charleston and Ted Williams were in the majors together. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Oscar Charleston appeared in 1,336 games to Ted Williams's 2,292. Where Oscar Charleston comes out ahead, it is in triples (112 to 71), stolen bases (311 to 24), and batting average (.350 to .344). At the plate, Oscar Charleston walked more often than struck out (647 walks, 29 strikeouts), and Ted Williams walked more often than struck out (2,021 walks, 709 strikeouts). Home runs make up a larger share of Ted Williams's hits: 183 of 1,718 for Oscar Charleston, 521 of 2,654 for Ted Williams.
Oscar Charleston vs Ted Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Oscar Charleston or Ted Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ted Williams leads Oscar Charleston in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Oscar Charleston or Ted Williams hit more home runs?
- Ted Williams, with 521 to Oscar Charleston's 183.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Oscar Charleston's 1.005.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Oscar Charleston, with .350 to Ted Williams's .344.
- Who had more hits?
- Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Oscar Charleston's 1,718.