Larry Doby vs Willie Stargell: Career Stats Comparison

Larry Doby (1947–1959) and Willie Stargell (1962–1982) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Larry Doby finished with 1,697 hits and 273 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.

Larry Doby

Hitter · 1947–1959
Games
1,674
Hits
1,697
Home Runs
273
RBI
1,093
Avg
.288
OPS
.888
View Larry Doby'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 Larry Doby 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 Larry Doby Willie Stargell
Games 1,674 2,360
At-Bats 5,883 7,927
Runs 1,080 1,194
Hits 1,697 2,232
Doubles 277 423
Triples 72 55
Home Runs 273 475
RBI 1,093 1,540
Walks 945 937
Strikeouts 1,012 1,936
Stolen Bases 64 17
Batting Avg .288 .282
On-Base % .389 .360
Slugging % .499 .529
OPS .888 .889

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Stargell outpaces Larry Doby 42,804 to 28,857 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,038 vs 1,519 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Larry Doby
28,857
Career PIV · 1,519 per season (19 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).

Larry Doby — top 3 seasons by OPS

1950.986 OPS25 HR, 102 RBI, .326 avg
1951.941 OPS20 HR, 69 RBI, .295 avg
1952.924 OPS32 HR, 104 RBI, .276 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 hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Larry Doby owns stolen bases, batting average, and OBP. 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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