Roberto Clemente vs Willie Stargell: Career Stats Comparison

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.

Roberto Clemente

Hitter · 1955–1972
Games
2,433
Hits
3,000
Home Runs
240
RBI
1,305
Avg
.317
OPS
.834
View Roberto Clemente's full profile →

Willie Stargell

Hitter · 1962–1982
Games
2,360
Hits
2,232
Home Runs
475
RBI
1,540
Avg
.282
OPS
.889
View Willie Stargell's full profile →

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; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Roberto Clemente Willie Stargell
Games 2,433 2,360
At-Bats 9,454 7,927
Runs 1,416 1,194
Hits 3,000 2,232
Doubles 440 423
Triples 166 55
Home Runs 240 475
RBI 1,305 1,540
Walks 621 937
Strikeouts 1,230 1,936
Stolen Bases 83 17
Batting Avg .317 .282
On-Base % .359 .360
Slugging % .475 .529
OPS .834 .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.

Roberto Clemente
34,131
Career PIV · 1,896 per season (18 seasons)
Willie Stargell
42,804
Career PIV · 2,038 per season (21 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

1970.963 OPS14 HR, 60 RBI, .352 avg
1969.955 OPS19 HR, 91 RBI, .345 avg
1967.954 OPS23 HR, 110 RBI, .357 avg

Willie Stargell — top 3 seasons by OPS

19731.038 OPS44 HR, 119 RBI, .299 avg
19711.026 OPS48 HR, 125 RBI, .295 avg
1966.962 OPS33 HR, 102 RBI, .315 avg

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.

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