Stan Musial vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Stan Musial has the better career line of the two, leading 13 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Stan Musial played 1941–1963 as a hitter; Billy Williams played 1959–1976 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
Stan Musial (1941–1963) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Stan Musial finished with 3,630 hits and 475 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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Stan Musial, with 475 to Billy Williams's 426.
- Who had the higher OPS? Stan Musial, with .976 to Billy Williams's .853.
- Who had the higher batting average? Stan Musial, with .331 to Billy Williams's .290.
- Who had more hits? Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Billy Williams's 2,711.
- Who drove in more runs? Stan Musial, with 1,951 to Billy Williams's 1,475.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Stan Musial, with 83,624 career PIV to Billy Williams's 44,022.
- Who won more championships? Stan Musial, with 3 World Series titles to Billy Williams's 0.
Stan Musial
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Stan Musial and Billy Williams. 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 1940s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Stan Musial | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,026 | 2,488 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,972 | 9,350 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,949 | 1,410 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,630 | 2,711 |
| Doubles | Leads: 725 | 434 |
| Triples | Leads: 177 | 88 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 475 | 426 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,951 | 1,475 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,599 | 1,045 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 696 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | 78 | Leads: 90 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .331 | .290 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .417 | .361 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .559 | .492 |
| OPS | Leads: .976 | .853 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Stan Musial outpaces Billy Williams 83,624 to 44,022 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,801 PIV per season to 2,446, across 22 seasons to 18. 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).
Stan Musial — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Stan Musial leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Billy Williams owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Stan Musial. PIV agrees: Stan Musial grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Stan Musial and Billy Williams careers compare
Stan Musial and Billy Williams were active at the same time between 1959 and 1963. The two careers are close in length, 3,026 games for Stan Musial and 2,488 for Billy Williams across 22 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Billy Williams comes out ahead, it is in stolen bases (90 to 78). Plate discipline differs: Stan Musial walked more often than struck out (1,599 walks, 696 strikeouts), but Billy Williams struck out more than walked (1,046 to 1,045). Stan Musial owns the better peak by OPS: 1.152 OPS in 1948 for Stan Musial against 1.005 OPS in 1972 for Billy Williams.
Stan Musial vs Billy Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Stan Musial or Billy Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Stan Musial leads Billy Williams in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Stan Musial or Billy Williams hit more home runs?
- Stan Musial, with 475 to Billy Williams's 426.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Stan Musial, with .976 to Billy Williams's .853.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Stan Musial, with .331 to Billy Williams's .290.
- Who had more hits?
- Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Billy Williams's 2,711.