Harry Heilmann vs Ken Williams: Career Stats Comparison

Harry Heilmann (1914–1932) and Ken Williams (1915–1929) — both broke in during the 1910s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Harry Heilmann finished with 2,660 hits and 183 home runs; Ken Williams finished with 1,552 hits and 196 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Harry Heilmann

Hitter · 1914–1932
Games
2,148
Hits
2,660
Home Runs
183
RBI
1,539
Avg
.342
OPS
.930
View Harry Heilmann's full profile →

Ken Williams

Hitter · 1915–1929
Games
1,397
Hits
1,552
Home Runs
196
RBI
913
Avg
.319
OPS
.924
View Ken Williams's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harry Heilmann and Ken Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Harry Heilmann Ken Williams
Games 2,148 1,397
At-Bats 7,787 4,862
Runs 1,291 860
Hits 2,660 1,552
Doubles 542 285
Triples 151 77
Home Runs 183 196
RBI 1,539 913
Walks 856 566
Strikeouts 550 287
Stolen Bases 113 154
Batting Avg .342 .319
On-Base % .410 .393
Slugging % .520 .530
OPS .930 .924

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harry Heilmann outpaces Ken Williams 46,791 to 26,593 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,752 vs 1,900 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Harry Heilmann
46,791
Career PIV · 2,752 per season (17 seasons)
Ken Williams
26,593
Career PIV · 1,900 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Harry Heilmann — top 3 seasons by OPS

19231.113 OPS18 HR, 115 RBI, .403 avg
19271.091 OPS14 HR, 120 RBI, .398 avg
19211.051 OPS19 HR, 139 RBI, .394 avg

Ken Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS

19231.062 OPS29 HR, 91 RBI, .357 avg
19221.040 OPS39 HR, 155 RBI, .332 avg
19251.003 OPS25 HR, 105 RBI, .331 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Harry Heilmann leads in hits, RBI, runs, and batting average, while Ken Williams owns home runs and stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Harry Heilmann. PIV agrees: Harry Heilmann grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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