Andre Dawson vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Andre Dawson has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Andre Dawson played 1976–1996 as a hitter; Billy Williams played 1959–1976 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
Andre Dawson (1976–1996) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — they broke in during the 1970s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Andre Dawson finished with 2,774 hits and 438 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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Andre Dawson, with 438 to Billy Williams's 426.
- Who had the higher OPS? Billy Williams, with .853 to Andre Dawson's .806.
- Who had the higher batting average? Billy Williams, with .290 to Andre Dawson's .279.
- Who had more hits? Andre Dawson, with 2,774 to Billy Williams's 2,711.
- Who drove in more runs? Andre Dawson, with 1,591 to Billy Williams's 1,475.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Billy Williams, with 44,022 career PIV to Andre Dawson's 20,948.
Andre Dawson
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Andre Dawson and Billy 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, and the 1970s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Andre Dawson | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,627 | 2,488 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,927 | 9,350 |
| Runs | 1,373 | Leads: 1,410 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,774 | 2,711 |
| Doubles | Leads: 503 | 434 |
| Triples | Leads: 98 | 88 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 438 | 426 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,591 | 1,475 |
| Walks | 589 | Leads: 1,045 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,509 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 314 | 90 |
| Batting Avg | .279 | Leads: .290 |
| On-Base % | .323 | Leads: .361 |
| Slugging % | .482 | Leads: .492 |
| OPS | .806 | Leads: .853 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Williams outpaces Andre Dawson 44,022 to 20,948 — driven by per-season impact — 2,446 PIV per season to 998 — rather than by longevity, since Billy Williams played 18 seasons to Andre Dawson's 21. 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).
Andre Dawson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy Williams leads in runs, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Andre Dawson owns hits, home runs, and RBI. 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.
Related Matchups
How the Andre Dawson and Billy Williams careers compare
The careers of Andre Dawson (1976–1996) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) overlapped from 1976 to 1976, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,627 games for Andre Dawson and 2,488 for Billy Williams across 21 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Andre Dawson struck out more than walked (1,509 to 589), and Billy Williams struck out more than walked (1,046 to 1,045). On the bases, Andre Dawson stole more often per game played (314 steals in 2,627 games for Andre Dawson, 90 in 2,488 for Billy Williams). Billy Williams's on-base percentage of .361 tops Andre Dawson's .323.
Andre Dawson vs Billy Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Andre Dawson or Billy Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Andre Dawson leads Billy Williams in 8 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Andre Dawson or Billy Williams hit more home runs?
- Andre Dawson, with 438 to Billy Williams's 426.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Billy Williams, with .853 to Andre Dawson's .806.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Billy Williams, with .290 to Andre Dawson's .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Andre Dawson, with 2,774 to Billy Williams's 2,711.