Roberto Clemente vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Roberto Clemente finished with 3,000 hits and 240 home runs; Billy Williams finished with 2,711 hits and 426 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Roberto Clemente
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roberto Clemente and Billy Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Roberto Clemente | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,433 | 2,488 |
| At-Bats | 9,454 | 9,350 |
| Runs | 1,416 | 1,410 |
| Hits | 3,000 | 2,711 |
| Doubles | 440 | 434 |
| Triples | 166 | 88 |
| Home Runs | 240 | 426 |
| RBI | 1,305 | 1,475 |
| Walks | 621 | 1,045 |
| Strikeouts | 1,230 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | 83 | 90 |
| Batting Avg | .317 | .290 |
| On-Base % | .359 | .361 |
| Slugging % | .475 | .492 |
| OPS | .834 | .853 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Williams leads Roberto Clemente 44,022 to 34,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,446 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
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy Williams leads in home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and OBP, while Roberto Clemente owns hits, runs, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Billy Williams. PIV agrees: Billy Williams grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.