Jimmie Foxx vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Jimmie Foxx played 1925–1945 as a hitter; Willie Mays played 1951–1973 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
Jimmie Foxx (1925–1945) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jimmie Foxx finished with 2,646 hits and 534 home runs; Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Willie Mays, with 660 to Jimmie Foxx's 534.
- Who had the higher OPS? Jimmie Foxx, with 1.038 to Willie Mays's .940.
- Who had the higher batting average? Jimmie Foxx, with .325 to Willie Mays's .301.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Jimmie Foxx's 2,646.
- Who drove in more runs? Jimmie Foxx, with 1,922 to Willie Mays's 1,909.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Jimmie Foxx's 72,872.
- Who won more championships? Jimmie Foxx, with 2 World Series titles to Willie Mays's 1.
Jimmie Foxx
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jimmie Foxx and Willie Mays. 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 1920s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Jimmie Foxx | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,317 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 8,134 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 1,751 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 2,646 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 458 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 125 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 534 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,922 | 1,909 |
| Walks | 1,452 | Leads: 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,311 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 87 | Leads: 339 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .325 | .301 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .428 | .384 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .609 | .557 |
| OPS | Leads: 1.038 | .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays edges Jimmie Foxx 74,062 to 72,872 — a longevity gap rather than a per-season one: Willie Mays played 24 seasons to Jimmie Foxx's 21, while Jimmie Foxx carries the higher per-season figure (3,470 to 3,086). 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).
Jimmie Foxx — top 3 seasons by OPS
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, runs, and stolen bases, while Jimmie Foxx owns RBI, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Willie Mays. PIV agrees: Willie Mays grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jimmie Foxx and Willie Mays careers compare
The two careers never overlapped: Jimmie Foxx's ended in 1945, and Willie Mays debuted in 1951. The two careers are close in length, 2,317 games for Jimmie Foxx and 3,005 for Willie Mays across 21 and 24 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Jimmie Foxx walked more often than struck out (1,452 walks, 1,311 strikeouts), while Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). Willie Mays was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Best seasons: 1932 for Jimmie Foxx (1.218 OPS, 58 HR, 169 RBI, .364 avg) and 1954 for Willie Mays (1.078 OPS, 41 HR, 110 RBI, .345 avg).
Jimmie Foxx vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jimmie Foxx or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Jimmie Foxx in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jimmie Foxx or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Jimmie Foxx's 534.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Jimmie Foxx, with 1.038 to Willie Mays's .940.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Jimmie Foxx, with .325 to Willie Mays's .301.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Jimmie Foxx's 2,646.