Roberto Clemente vs Willie Stargell: Career Stats Comparison
Roberto Clemente has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Roberto Clemente played 1955–1972 as a hitter; Willie Stargell played 1962–1982 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
Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Willie Stargell (1962–1982) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Roberto Clemente finished with 3,000 hits and 240 home runs; Willie Stargell finished with 2,232 hits and 475 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Willie Stargell, with 475 to Roberto Clemente's 240.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Stargell, with .889 to Roberto Clemente's .834.
- Who had the higher batting average? Roberto Clemente, with .317 to Willie Stargell's .282.
- Who had more hits? Roberto Clemente, with 3,000 to Willie Stargell's 2,232.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Stargell, with 1,540 to Roberto Clemente's 1,305.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Stargell, with 42,804 career PIV to Roberto Clemente's 34,131.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 2 World Series titles.
Roberto Clemente
Willie Stargell
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Roberto Clemente | Willie Stargell |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,433 | 2,360 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,454 | 7,927 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,416 | 1,194 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,000 | 2,232 |
| Doubles | Leads: 440 | 423 |
| Triples | Leads: 166 | 55 |
| Home Runs | 240 | Leads: 475 |
| RBI | 1,305 | Leads: 1,540 |
| Walks | 621 | Leads: 937 |
| Strikeouts | 1,230 | 1,936 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 83 | 17 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .317 | .282 |
| On-Base % | .359 | Leads: .360 |
| Slugging % | .475 | Leads: .529 |
| OPS | .834 | Leads: .889 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Stargell leads Roberto Clemente 42,804 to 34,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,038 vs 1,896 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Roberto Clemente — top 3 seasons by OPS
Willie Stargell — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Stargell leads in home runs, RBI, OBP, and OPS, while Roberto Clemente owns hits, runs, and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Willie Stargell. PIV agrees: Willie Stargell grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Roberto Clemente vs Willie Stargell: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Roberto Clemente or Willie Stargell?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Roberto Clemente leads Willie Stargell in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Roberto Clemente or Willie Stargell hit more home runs?
- Willie Stargell, with 475 to Roberto Clemente's 240.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Stargell, with .889 to Roberto Clemente's .834.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Roberto Clemente, with .317 to Willie Stargell's .282.
- Who had more hits?
- Roberto Clemente, with 3,000 to Willie Stargell's 2,232.