John Kruk vs Bernie Williams: Career Stats Comparison

Bernie Williams has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). John Kruk played 1986–1995 as a hitter; Bernie Williams played 1991–2006 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

John Kruk (1986–1995) and Bernie Williams (1991–2006) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. John Kruk finished with 1,170 hits and 100 home runs; Bernie Williams finished with 2,336 hits and 287 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Bernie Williams, with 287 to John Kruk's 100.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Bernie Williams, with .858 to John Kruk's .842.
  • Who had the higher batting average? John Kruk, with .300 to Bernie Williams's .297.
  • Who had more hits? Bernie Williams, with 2,336 to John Kruk's 1,170.
  • Who drove in more runs? Bernie Williams, with 1,257 to John Kruk's 592.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Bernie Williams, with 24,401 career PIV to John Kruk's 15,317.
  • Who won more championships? Bernie Williams, with 4 World Series titles to John Kruk's 0.
Leads Bernie Williams 12 of 14 scored categories
PIV edge Bernie Williams +9,083
Read the verdict ↓

John Kruk

Hitter · 1986–1995
Games
1,200
Hits
1,170
Home Runs
100
RBI
592
Avg
.300
OPS
.842
View John Kruk's full profile →

Bernie Williams

Hitter · 1991–2006
Games
2,076
Hits
2,336
Home Runs
287
RBI
1,257
Avg
.297
OPS
.858
View Bernie Williams's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for John Kruk and Bernie Williams. 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, and the 1980s and the 1990s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

John Kruk vs Bernie Williams: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic John Kruk Bernie Williams
Games 1,200 Leads: 2,076
At-Bats 3,897 Leads: 7,869
Runs 582 Leads: 1,366
Hits 1,170 Leads: 2,336
Doubles 199 Leads: 449
Triples 34 Leads: 55
Home Runs 100 Leads: 287
RBI 592 Leads: 1,257
Walks 649 Leads: 1,069
Strikeouts not scored 701 1,212
Stolen Bases 58 Leads: 147
Batting Avg Leads: .300 .297
On-Base % Leads: .397 .381
Slugging % .446 Leads: .477
OPS .842 Leads: .858

PIV Comparison through 2025

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Bernie Williams outpaces John Kruk 24,401 to 15,317 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,525 PIV per season to 1,392, across 16 seasons to 11. 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.

John Kruk
15,317
Career PIV · 1,392 per season (11 seasons)
Bernie Williams
24,401
Career PIV · 1,525 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).

John Kruk — top 3 seasons by OPS

1993.905 OPS14 HR, 85 RBI, .316 avg
1987.894 OPS20 HR, 91 RBI, .313 avg
1992.881 OPS10 HR, 70 RBI, .323 avg

Bernie Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS

1998.997 OPS26 HR, 97 RBI, .339 avg
1999.971 OPS25 HR, 115 RBI, .342 avg
2000.957 OPS30 HR, 121 RBI, .307 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

How the John Kruk and Bernie Williams careers compare

From 1991 through 1995, John Kruk and Bernie Williams were in the majors together. The table compares 1,200 games of John Kruk with 2,076 of Bernie Williams across 11 and 16 PIV seasons; totals favor the longer career by default. Where John Kruk comes out ahead, it is in batting average (.300 to .297) and on-base percentage (.397 to .381). John Kruk struck out more than walked (701 to 649); Bernie Williams struck out more than walked (1,212 to 1,069). Bernie Williams is the more power-leaning hitter, with 287 of 2,336 hits leaving the park.

John Kruk vs Bernie Williams: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, John Kruk or Bernie Williams?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Bernie Williams leads John Kruk in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
Did John Kruk or Bernie Williams hit more home runs?
Bernie Williams, with 287 to John Kruk's 100.
Who had the higher OPS?
Bernie Williams, with .858 to John Kruk's .842.
Who had the higher batting average?
John Kruk, with .300 to Bernie Williams's .297.
Who had more hits?
Bernie Williams, with 2,336 to John Kruk's 1,170.