Willie Mays vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Mays (1951–1973) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs; Billy Williams finished with 2,711 hits and 426 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Willie Mays
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willie Mays and Billy Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Willie Mays | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,005 | 2,488 |
| At-Bats | 10,924 | 9,350 |
| Runs | 2,068 | 1,410 |
| Hits | 3,293 | 2,711 |
| Doubles | 525 | 434 |
| Triples | 141 | 88 |
| Home Runs | 660 | 426 |
| RBI | 1,909 | 1,475 |
| Walks | 1,468 | 1,045 |
| Strikeouts | 1,526 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | 339 | 90 |
| Batting Avg | .301 | .290 |
| On-Base % | .384 | .361 |
| Slugging % | .557 | .492 |
| OPS | .940 | .853 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Billy Williams 74,062 to 44,022 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,086 vs 2,446 per year). 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).
Willie Mays — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Billy Williams 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.