Johnny Mize vs Tony Perez: Career Stats Comparison
Tony Perez has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Johnny Mize played 1936–1953 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
Johnny Mize (1936–1953) and Tony Perez (1964–1986) — they broke in during the 1930s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Johnny Mize finished with 2,011 hits and 359 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? Tony Perez, with 379 to Johnny Mize's 359.
- Who had the higher OPS? Johnny Mize, with .959 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average? Johnny Mize, with .312 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits? Tony Perez, with 2,732 to Johnny Mize's 2,011.
- Who drove in more runs? Tony Perez, with 1,652 to Johnny Mize's 1,337.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Johnny Mize, with 43,061 career PIV to Tony Perez's 28,896.
- Who won more championships? Johnny Mize, with 5 World Series titles to Tony Perez's 2.
Johnny Mize
Tony Perez
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Johnny Mize 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 1930s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Johnny Mize | Tony Perez |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,884 | Leads: 2,777 |
| At-Bats | 6,443 | Leads: 9,778 |
| Runs | 1,118 | Leads: 1,272 |
| Hits | 2,011 | Leads: 2,732 |
| Doubles | 367 | Leads: 505 |
| Triples | Leads: 83 | 79 |
| Home Runs | 359 | Leads: 379 |
| RBI | 1,337 | Leads: 1,652 |
| Walks | 856 | Leads: 925 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 524 | 1,867 |
| Stolen Bases | 28 | Leads: 49 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .312 | .279 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .397 | .341 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .562 | .463 |
| OPS | Leads: .959 | .804 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Johnny Mize outpaces Tony Perez 43,061 to 28,896 — driven by per-season impact — 2,691 PIV per season to 1,256 — rather than by longevity, since Johnny Mize played 16 seasons to Tony Perez's 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).
Johnny Mize — top 3 seasons by OPS
Tony Perez — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Tony Perez leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Johnny Mize owns batting average, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tony Perez. Note that PIV actually grades Johnny Mize ahead, which means Tony Perez's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Johnny Mize and Tony Perez careers compare
Johnny Mize (1936–1953) was finished before Tony Perez (1964–1986) arrived, so they never shared a league. With 1,884 games against 2,777 across 16 and 23 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. At the plate, Johnny Mize walked more often than struck out (856 walks, 524 strikeouts), while Tony Perez struck out more than walked (1,867 to 925). Johnny Mize owns the better peak by OPS: 1.070 OPS in 1939 for Johnny Mize against .990 OPS in 1970 for Tony Perez.
Johnny Mize vs Tony Perez: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Johnny Mize or Tony Perez?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Tony Perez leads Johnny Mize in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Johnny Mize or Tony Perez hit more home runs?
- Tony Perez, with 379 to Johnny Mize's 359.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Johnny Mize, with .959 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Johnny Mize, with .312 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Tony Perez, with 2,732 to Johnny Mize's 2,011.