Harmon Killebrew vs Willie Mays: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Harmon Killebrew played 1954–1975 as a hitter; Willie Mays played 1951–1973 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
Harmon Killebrew (1954–1975) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Harmon Killebrew finished with 2,086 hits and 573 home runs; Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Willie Mays, with 660 to Harmon Killebrew's 573.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Harmon Killebrew's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Harmon Killebrew's .256.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Harmon Killebrew's 2,086.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Harmon Killebrew's 1,584.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Harmon Killebrew's 48,240.
- Who won more championships? Willie Mays, with 1 World Series title to Harmon Killebrew's 0.
Harmon Killebrew
Willie Mays
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harmon Killebrew and Willie Mays. 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Harmon Killebrew | Willie Mays |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,435 | Leads: 3,005 |
| At-Bats | 8,147 | Leads: 10,924 |
| Runs | 1,283 | Leads: 2,068 |
| Hits | 2,086 | Leads: 3,293 |
| Doubles | 290 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 24 | Leads: 141 |
| Home Runs | 573 | Leads: 660 |
| RBI | 1,584 | Leads: 1,909 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,559 | 1,468 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,699 | 1,526 |
| Stolen Bases | 19 | Leads: 339 |
| Batting Avg | .256 | Leads: .301 |
| On-Base % | .376 | Leads: .384 |
| Slugging % | .509 | Leads: .557 |
| OPS | .884 | Leads: .940 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Harmon Killebrew 74,062 to 48,240 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 2,193, across 24 seasons to 22. 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).
Harmon Killebrew — top 3 seasons by OPS
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Harmon Killebrew owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Willie Mays. PIV agrees: Willie Mays grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Harmon Killebrew and Willie Mays careers compare
The careers of Harmon Killebrew (1954–1975) and Willie Mays (1951–1973) overlapped from 1954 to 1973, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,435 games for Harmon Killebrew and 3,005 for Willie Mays across 22 and 24 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Harmon Killebrew comes out ahead, it is in walks (1,559 to 1,468). At the plate, Harmon Killebrew struck out more than walked (1,699 to 1,559), and Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468). Harmon Killebrew is the more power-leaning hitter, with 573 of 2,086 hits leaving the park.
Harmon Killebrew vs Willie Mays: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Harmon Killebrew or Willie Mays?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Harmon Killebrew in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Harmon Killebrew or Willie Mays hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Harmon Killebrew's 573.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Harmon Killebrew's .884.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Harmon Killebrew's .256.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Harmon Killebrew's 2,086.