Billy Hamilton vs Willie Keeler: Career Stats Comparison
Billy Hamilton has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Billy Hamilton played 1888–1901 as a hitter; Willie Keeler played 1892–1910 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
Billy Hamilton (1888–1901) and Willie Keeler (1892–1910) — they broke in during the 1880s and the 1890s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Billy Hamilton finished with 2,164 hits and 40 home runs; Willie Keeler finished with 2,932 hits and 33 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Billy Hamilton, with 40 to Willie Keeler's 33.
- Who had the higher OPS? Billy Hamilton, with .888 to Willie Keeler's .802.
- Who had the higher batting average? Billy Hamilton, with .344 to Willie Keeler's .341.
- Who had more hits? Willie Keeler, with 2,932 to Billy Hamilton's 2,164.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Keeler, with 810 to Billy Hamilton's 742.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Billy Hamilton, with 38,004 career PIV to Willie Keeler's 29,044.
Billy Hamilton
Willie Keeler
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Billy Hamilton and Willie Keeler. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Billy Hamilton | Willie Keeler |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,594 | Leads: 2,123 |
| At-Bats | 6,283 | Leads: 8,591 |
| Runs | 1,697 | Leads: 1,719 |
| Hits | 2,164 | Leads: 2,932 |
| Doubles | Leads: 242 | 241 |
| Triples | 95 | Leads: 145 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 40 | 33 |
| RBI | 742 | Leads: 810 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,189 | 524 |
| Strikeouts | 362 | 136 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 914 | 495 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .344 | .341 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .455 | .388 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .432 | .415 |
| OPS | Leads: .888 | .802 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Hamilton leads Willie Keeler 38,004 to 29,044 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,715 vs 1,452 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Billy Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Willie Keeler — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy Hamilton leads in home runs, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Willie Keeler owns hits, RBI, and runs. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Billy Hamilton. PIV agrees: Billy Hamilton grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
Billy Hamilton vs Willie Keeler: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Billy Hamilton or Willie Keeler?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Billy Hamilton leads Willie Keeler in 8 of 14 categories.
- Did Billy Hamilton or Willie Keeler hit more home runs?
- Billy Hamilton, with 40 to Willie Keeler's 33.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Billy Hamilton, with .888 to Willie Keeler's .802.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Billy Hamilton, with .344 to Willie Keeler's .341.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Keeler, with 2,932 to Billy Hamilton's 2,164.