Bill Nicholson vs Ted Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Ted Williams 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). Bill Nicholson played 1936–1953 as a hitter; Ted Williams played 1939–1960 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
Bill Nicholson (1936–1953) and Ted Williams (1939–1960) — both broke in during the 1930s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Bill Nicholson finished with 1,484 hits and 235 home runs; Ted Williams finished with 2,654 hits and 521 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ted Williams, with 521 to Bill Nicholson's 235.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Bill Nicholson's .830.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ted Williams, with .344 to Bill Nicholson's .268.
- Who had more hits? Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Bill Nicholson's 1,484.
- Who drove in more runs? Ted Williams, with 1,839 to Bill Nicholson's 948.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ted Williams, with 96,302 career PIV to Bill Nicholson's 21,540.
Bill Nicholson
Ted Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bill Nicholson and Ted 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, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Bill Nicholson | Ted Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,677 | Leads: 2,292 |
| At-Bats | 5,546 | Leads: 7,706 |
| Runs | 837 | Leads: 1,798 |
| Hits | 1,484 | Leads: 2,654 |
| Doubles | 272 | Leads: 525 |
| Triples | 60 | Leads: 71 |
| Home Runs | 235 | Leads: 521 |
| RBI | 948 | Leads: 1,839 |
| Walks | 800 | Leads: 2,021 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 828 | 709 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 27 | 24 |
| Batting Avg | .268 | Leads: .344 |
| On-Base % | .365 | Leads: .482 |
| Slugging % | .465 | Leads: .634 |
| OPS | .830 | Leads: 1.116 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ted Williams outpaces Bill Nicholson 96,302 to 21,540 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 5,069 PIV per season to 1,346, across 19 seasons to 16. 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).
Bill Nicholson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ted Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ted Williams leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Nicholson owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ted Williams. PIV agrees: Ted Williams grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Bill Nicholson and Ted Williams careers compare
The careers of Bill Nicholson (1936–1953) and Ted Williams (1939–1960) overlapped from 1939 to 1953, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,677 games for Bill Nicholson and 2,292 for Ted Williams across 16 and 19 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Bill Nicholson's edges on the table are stolen bases (27 to 24). Plate discipline differs: Bill Nicholson struck out more than walked (828 to 800), but Ted Williams walked more often than struck out (2,021 walks, 709 strikeouts).
Bill Nicholson vs Ted Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bill Nicholson or Ted Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ted Williams leads Bill Nicholson in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bill Nicholson or Ted Williams hit more home runs?
- Ted Williams, with 521 to Bill Nicholson's 235.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ted Williams, with 1.116 to Bill Nicholson's .830.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ted Williams, with .344 to Bill Nicholson's .268.
- Who had more hits?
- Ted Williams, with 2,654 to Bill Nicholson's 1,484.