Bill Freehan vs Harmon Killebrew: Career Stats Comparison
Harmon Killebrew has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Bill Freehan played 1961–1976 as a hitter; Harmon Killebrew played 1954–1975 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
Bill Freehan (1961–1976) and Harmon Killebrew (1954–1975) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Bill Freehan finished with 1,591 hits and 200 home runs; Harmon Killebrew finished with 2,086 hits and 573 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Harmon Killebrew, with 573 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Harmon Killebrew, with .884 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average? Bill Freehan, with .262 to Harmon Killebrew's .256.
- Who had more hits? Harmon Killebrew, with 2,086 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.
- Who drove in more runs? Harmon Killebrew, with 1,584 to Bill Freehan's 758.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Harmon Killebrew, with 48,240 career PIV to Bill Freehan's 12,940.
- Who won more championships? Bill Freehan, with 1 World Series title to Harmon Killebrew's 0.
Bill Freehan
Harmon Killebrew
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bill Freehan and Harmon Killebrew. 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 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Bill Freehan | Harmon Killebrew |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,774 | Leads: 2,435 |
| At-Bats | 6,073 | Leads: 8,147 |
| Runs | 706 | Leads: 1,283 |
| Hits | 1,591 | Leads: 2,086 |
| Doubles | 241 | Leads: 290 |
| Triples | Leads: 35 | 24 |
| Home Runs | 200 | Leads: 573 |
| RBI | 758 | Leads: 1,584 |
| Walks | 626 | Leads: 1,559 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 753 | 1,699 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 24 | 19 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .262 | .256 |
| On-Base % | .340 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | .412 | Leads: .509 |
| OPS | .752 | Leads: .884 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harmon Killebrew outpaces Bill Freehan 48,240 to 12,940 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,193 PIV per season to 863, across 22 seasons to 15. 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).
Bill Freehan — top 3 seasons by OPS
Harmon Killebrew — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Harmon Killebrew leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Freehan owns stolen bases and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Harmon Killebrew. PIV agrees: Harmon Killebrew grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Bill Freehan and Harmon Killebrew careers compare
Bill Freehan and Harmon Killebrew were active at the same time between 1961 and 1975. With 1,774 games against 2,435 across 15 and 22 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Bill Freehan are triples (35 to 24), stolen bases (24 to 19), and batting average (.262 to .256). At the plate, Bill Freehan struck out more than walked (753 to 626), and Harmon Killebrew struck out more than walked (1,699 to 1,559). Home runs make up a larger share of Harmon Killebrew's hits: 200 of 1,591 for Bill Freehan, 573 of 2,086 for Harmon Killebrew. Harmon Killebrew's on-base percentage of .376 tops Bill Freehan's .340.
Bill Freehan vs Harmon Killebrew: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bill Freehan or Harmon Killebrew?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Harmon Killebrew leads Bill Freehan in 11 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bill Freehan or Harmon Killebrew hit more home runs?
- Harmon Killebrew, with 573 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Harmon Killebrew, with .884 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Bill Freehan, with .262 to Harmon Killebrew's .256.
- Who had more hits?
- Harmon Killebrew, with 2,086 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.