Stan Musial vs Ben Zobrist: 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; 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
Stan Musial (1941–1963) and Ben Zobrist (2006–2019) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Stan Musial finished with 3,630 hits and 475 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? Stan Musial, with 475 to Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS? Stan Musial, with .976 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average? Stan Musial, with .331 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits? Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.
- Who drove in more runs? Stan Musial, with 1,951 to Ben Zobrist's 768.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Stan Musial, with 83,624 career PIV to Ben Zobrist's 10,712.
- Who won more championships? Stan Musial, with 3 World Series titles to Ben Zobrist's 2.
Stan Musial
Ben Zobrist
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Stan Musial 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 1940s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Stan Musial | Ben Zobrist |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 3,026 | 1,651 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 10,972 | 5,880 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,949 | 884 |
| Hits | Leads: 3,630 | 1,566 |
| Doubles | Leads: 725 | 349 |
| Triples | Leads: 177 | 44 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 475 | 167 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,951 | 768 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,599 | 832 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 696 | 994 |
| Stolen Bases | 78 | Leads: 116 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .331 | .266 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .417 | .357 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .559 | .426 |
| OPS | Leads: .976 | .783 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Stan Musial outpaces Ben Zobrist 83,624 to 10,712 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 3,801 PIV per season to 714, across 22 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).
Stan Musial — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ben Zobrist — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Stan Musial leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ben Zobrist 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 Ben Zobrist careers compare
No season is shared: Stan Musial played 1941–1963, Ben Zobrist 2006–2019. Stan Musial has the far longer record, 3,026 games against 1,651 across 22 and 15 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. The green cells for Ben Zobrist are stolen bases (116 to 78). At the plate, Stan Musial walked more often than struck out (1,599 walks, 696 strikeouts), while Ben Zobrist struck out more than walked (994 to 832). Ben Zobrist was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. Best seasons: 1948 for Stan Musial (1.152 OPS, 39 HR, 131 RBI, .376 avg) and 2009 for Ben Zobrist (.948 OPS, 27 HR, 91 RBI, .297 avg).
Stan Musial vs Ben Zobrist: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Stan Musial or Ben Zobrist?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Stan Musial leads Ben Zobrist in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Stan Musial or Ben Zobrist hit more home runs?
- Stan Musial, with 475 to Ben Zobrist's 167.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Stan Musial, with .976 to Ben Zobrist's .783.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Stan Musial, with .331 to Ben Zobrist's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Stan Musial, with 3,630 to Ben Zobrist's 1,566.