Willie Mays vs Ben Zobrist: 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; Ben Zobrist played 2006–2019 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 Ben Zobrist (2006–2019) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willie Mays finished with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs; Ben Zobrist finished with 1,566 hits and 167 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 Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS? Willie Mays, with .940 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average? Willie Mays, with .301 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits? Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.
- Who drove in more runs? Willie Mays, with 1,909 to Ben Zobrist's 768.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Willie Mays, with 74,062 career PIV to Ben Zobrist's 10,712.
- Who won more championships? Ben Zobrist, with 2 World Series titles to Willie Mays's 1.
Willie Mays
Ben Zobrist
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willie Mays and Ben Zobrist. 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 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Willie Mays | Ben Zobrist |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,005 | 1,651 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,924 | 5,880 |
| Runs | Leads: 2,068 | 884 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,293 | 1,566 |
| Doubles | Leads: 525 | 349 |
| Triples | Leads: 141 | 44 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 660 | 167 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,909 | 768 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,468 | 832 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,526 | 994 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 339 | 116 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .301 | .266 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .384 | .357 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .557 | .426 |
| OPS | Leads: .940 | .783 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Mays outpaces Ben Zobrist 74,062 to 10,712 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,086 PIV per season to 714, across 24 seasons to 15. 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
Ben Zobrist — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Mays leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ben Zobrist 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 Ben Zobrist careers compare
No season is shared: Willie Mays played 1951–1973, Ben Zobrist 2006–2019. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Willie Mays appeared in 3,005 games to Ben Zobrist's 1,651. Every scored category on the table goes to Willie Mays. Willie Mays struck out more than walked (1,526 to 1,468); Ben Zobrist struck out more than walked (994 to 832). Home runs make up a larger share of Willie Mays's hits: 660 of 3,293 for Willie Mays, 167 of 1,566 for Ben Zobrist. Willie Mays was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Willie Mays's slugging percentage of .557 tops Ben Zobrist's .426.
Willie Mays vs Ben Zobrist: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Willie Mays or Ben Zobrist?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Willie Mays leads Ben Zobrist in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Willie Mays or Ben Zobrist hit more home runs?
- Willie Mays, with 660 to Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Willie Mays, with .940 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Willie Mays, with .301 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Willie Mays, with 3,293 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.