Willie Mays vs Tony Perez: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Willie Mays played 1951–1973 as a hitter; Tony Perez played 1964–1986 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
Willie Mays (1951–1973) and Tony Perez (1964–1986) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs; Tony Perez finished with 2,732 hits and 379 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 Tony Perez's 379.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Tony Perez's 2,732.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Tony Perez's 1,652.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Tony Perez's 28,896.
- Who won more championships? Tony Perez, with 2 World Series titles to Willie Mays's 1.
Willie Mays
Tony Perez
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willie Mays and Tony Perez. 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 1950s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Willie Mays | Tony Perez |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,005 | 2,777 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,924 | 9,778 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,068 | 1,272 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,293 | 2,732 |
| Doubles | Leads: 525 | 505 |
| Triples | Leads: 141 | 79 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 660 | 379 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,909 | 1,652 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,468 | 925 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,526 | 1,867 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 339 | 49 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .301 | .279 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .384 | .341 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .557 | .463 |
| OPS | Leads: .940 | .804 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Tony Perez 74,062 to 28,896 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 1,256, across 24 seasons to 23. 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).
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Tony Perez — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Tony Perez 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 Willie Mays and Tony Perez careers compare
The careers of Willie Mays (1951–1973) and Tony Perez (1964–1986) overlapped from 1964 to 1973, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 3,005 games for Willie Mays and 2,777 for Tony Perez across 24 and 23 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Every scored category on the table goes to Willie Mays. Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468); Tony Perez struck out more than walked (1,867 to 925). Home runs make up a larger share of Willie Mays's hits: 660 of 3,293 for Willie Mays, 379 of 2,732 for Tony Perez.
Willie Mays vs Tony Perez: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willie Mays or Tony Perez?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Tony Perez in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willie Mays or Tony Perez hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Tony Perez's 379.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Tony Perez's 2,732.