Charlie Keller vs Ted Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Ted Williams has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 12 scored categories on this page (3 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Charlie Keller played 1939–1952 as a hitter; Ted Williams played 1939–1960 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
Charlie Keller (1939–1952) and Ted Williams (1939–1960) — both debuted in the 1930s. Charlie Keller finished with 1,085 hits and 189 home runs; Ted Williams finished with 2,654 hits and 521 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who leads the career comparison? Ted Williams, in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who hit more home runs? Ted Williams, with 521 to Charlie Keller's 189.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Charlie Keller's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ted Williams, with .344 to Charlie Keller's .286.
- Who had more hits? Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Charlie Keller's 1,085.
- Who drove in more runs? Ted Williams, with 1,839 to Charlie Keller's 760.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ted Williams, with 96,302 career PIV to Charlie Keller's 25,963.
Charlie Keller
Ted Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Charlie Keller and Ted Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 12 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other 3 are shown but not scored. Games and at-bats measure playing time, strikeouts accumulate with a longer career, and a line where both players are at zero was won by neither, so those are left unmarked. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Charlie Keller | Ted Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games not scored | 1,170 | 2,292 |
| At-Bats not scored | 3,790 | 7,706 |
| Runs | 725 | Leads: 1,798 |
| Hits | 1,085 | Leads: 2,654 |
| Doubles | 166 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | Leads: 72 | 71 |
| Home Runs | 189 | Leads: 521 |
| RBI | 760 | Leads: 1,839 |
| Walks | 784 | Leads: 2,021 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 499 | 709 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 45 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | .286 | Leads: .344 |
| On-Base % | .410 | Leads: .482 |
| Slugging % | .518 | Leads: .634 |
| OPS | .928 | Leads: 1.116 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Williams outpaces Charlie Keller 96,302 to 25,963 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,069 PIV per season to 1,997, across 19 seasons to 13. 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).
Charlie Keller — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ted Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
Ted Williams leads 10 of the 12 scored categories on the head-to-head card: runs, hits, doubles, home runs, and others. Charlie Keller leads 2: triples and stolen bases. On the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ted Williams. PIV agrees: Ted Williams grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Charlie Keller and Ted Williams careers compare
The careers of Charlie Keller (1939–1952) and Ted Williams (1939–1960) overlapped from 1939 to 1952, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The table compares 1,170 games of Charlie Keller with 2,292 of Ted Williams across 13 and 19 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. The green cells for Charlie Keller are triples (72 to 71) and stolen bases (45 to 24). At the plate, Charlie Keller walked more often than struck out (784 walks, 499 strikeouts), and Ted Williams walked more often than struck out (2,021 walks, 709 strikeouts). Ted Williams's slugging percentage of .634 tops Charlie Keller's .518.
Charlie Keller vs Ted Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Charlie Keller or Ted Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ted Williams leads Charlie Keller in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Did Charlie Keller or Ted Williams hit more home runs?
- Ted Williams, with 521 to Charlie Keller's 189.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Charlie Keller's .928.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ted Williams, with .344 to Charlie Keller's .286.
- Who had more hits?
- Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Charlie Keller's 1,085.