Willie Mays vs Christian Yelich: 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; Christian Yelich has played 2013–present 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 Christian Yelich (2013–present) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 2010s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs; Christian Yelich has 1,845 hits and 245 home runs through October 6, 2026. 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 Christian Yelich's 245.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Christian Yelich's .829.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Christian Yelich's .282.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Christian Yelich's 1,845.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Christian Yelich's 910.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Christian Yelich's 20,940.
- Who won more championships? Willie Mays, with 1 World Series title to Christian Yelich's 0.
Willie Mays
Christian Yelich
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willie Mays and Christian Yelich. 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 2010s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Christian Yelich is still active — his totals below are current through October 6, 2026.
| Statistic | Willie Mays | Christian Yelich |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,005 | 1,734 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,924 | 6,550 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,068 | 1,102 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,293 | 1,845 |
| Doubles | Leads: 525 | 350 |
| Triples | Leads: 141 | 37 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 660 | 245 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,909 | 910 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,468 | 883 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,526 | 1,683 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 339 | 232 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .301 | .282 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .384 | .370 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .557 | .459 |
| OPS | Leads: .940 | .829 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Christian Yelich 74,062 to 20,940 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 1,611, across 24 seasons to 13. 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
Christian Yelich — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Christian Yelich 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 Christian Yelich careers compare
Willie Mays (1951–1973) was finished before Christian Yelich (2013–present) arrived, so they never shared a league. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Willie Mays appeared in 3,005 games to Christian Yelich's 1,734. Willie Mays leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468), and Christian Yelich struck out more than walked (1,683 to 883). Willie Mays is the more power-leaning hitter, with 660 of 3,293 hits leaving the park. On the bases, Christian Yelich stole more often per game played (339 steals in 3,005 games for Willie Mays, 232 in 1,734 for Christian Yelich). Because Christian Yelich is still playing, the totals above will keep moving through the season.
Willie Mays vs Christian Yelich: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willie Mays or Christian Yelich?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Christian Yelich in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willie Mays or Christian Yelich hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Christian Yelich's 245.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Christian Yelich's .829.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Christian Yelich's .282.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Christian Yelich's 1,845.