Bill Freehan vs Eddie Mathews: Career Stats Comparison
Eddie Mathews has the better career line of the two, leading 14 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; Eddie Mathews played 1952–1968 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 Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) — 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; Eddie Mathews finished with 2,315 hits and 512 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Eddie Mathews, with 512 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average? Eddie Mathews, with .271 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits? Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.
- Who drove in more runs? Eddie Mathews, with 1,453 to Bill Freehan's 758.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Eddie Mathews, with 45,555 career PIV to Bill Freehan's 12,940.
- Who won more championships? Eddie Mathews, with 2 World Series titles to Bill Freehan's 1.
Bill Freehan
Eddie Mathews
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bill Freehan and Eddie Mathews. 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 | Eddie Mathews |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,774 | Leads: 2,391 |
| At-Bats | 6,073 | Leads: 8,537 |
| Runs | 706 | Leads: 1,509 |
| Hits | 1,591 | Leads: 2,315 |
| Doubles | 241 | Leads: 354 |
| Triples | 35 | Leads: 72 |
| Home Runs | 200 | Leads: 512 |
| RBI | 758 | Leads: 1,453 |
| Walks | 626 | Leads: 1,444 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 753 | 1,487 |
| Stolen Bases | 24 | Leads: 68 |
| Batting Avg | .262 | Leads: .271 |
| On-Base % | .340 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | .412 | Leads: .509 |
| OPS | .752 | Leads: .885 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Eddie Mathews outpaces Bill Freehan 45,555 to 12,940 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,531 PIV per season to 863, across 18 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
Eddie Mathews — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Eddie Mathews leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Freehan owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Eddie Mathews. PIV agrees: Eddie Mathews 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 Eddie Mathews careers compare
The careers of Bill Freehan (1961–1976) and Eddie Mathews (1952–1968) overlapped from 1961 to 1968, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,774 games for Bill Freehan and 2,391 for Eddie Mathews across 15 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Eddie Mathews leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Bill Freehan struck out more than walked (753 to 626), and Eddie Mathews struck out more than walked (1,487 to 1,444). Home runs make up a larger share of Eddie Mathews's hits: 200 of 1,591 for Bill Freehan, 512 of 2,315 for Eddie Mathews.
Bill Freehan vs Eddie Mathews: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bill Freehan or Eddie Mathews?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Eddie Mathews leads Bill Freehan in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bill Freehan or Eddie Mathews hit more home runs?
- Eddie Mathews, with 512 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Eddie Mathews, with .885 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Eddie Mathews, with .271 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits?
- Eddie Mathews, with 2,315 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.