Harmon Killebrew vs Johnny Mize: Career Stats Comparison

Harmon Killebrew (1954–1975) and Johnny Mize (1936–1953) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1930s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Harmon Killebrew finished with 2,086 hits and 573 home runs; Johnny Mize finished with 2,011 hits and 359 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Harmon Killebrew

Hitter · 1954–1975
Games
2,435
Hits
2,086
Home Runs
573
RBI
1,584
Avg
.256
OPS
.884
View Harmon Killebrew's full profile →

Johnny Mize

Hitter · 1936–1953
Games
1,884
Hits
2,011
Home Runs
359
RBI
1,337
Avg
.312
OPS
.959
View Johnny Mize's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Harmon Killebrew and Johnny Mize. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Harmon Killebrew Johnny Mize
Games 2,435 1,884
At-Bats 8,147 6,443
Runs 1,283 1,118
Hits 2,086 2,011
Doubles 290 367
Triples 24 83
Home Runs 573 359
RBI 1,584 1,337
Walks 1,559 856
Strikeouts 1,699 524
Stolen Bases 19 28
Batting Avg .256 .312
On-Base % .376 .397
Slugging % .509 .562
OPS .884 .959

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Harmon Killebrew leads Johnny Mize 48,240 to 43,061 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,193 vs 2,691 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Harmon Killebrew
48,240
Career PIV · 2,193 per season (22 seasons)
Johnny Mize
43,061
Career PIV · 2,691 per season (16 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

19611.012 OPS46 HR, 122 RBI, .288 avg
19691.011 OPS49 HR, 140 RBI, .276 avg
1967.965 OPS44 HR, 113 RBI, .269 avg

Johnny Mize — top 3 seasons by OPS

19391.070 OPS28 HR, 108 RBI, .349 avg
19401.039 OPS43 HR, 137 RBI, .314 avg
19381.036 OPS27 HR, 102 RBI, .337 avg

Verdict

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

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