Tony Perez vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Billy Williams 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). Tony Perez played 1964–1986 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
Tony Perez (1964–1986) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Tony Perez finished with 2,732 hits and 379 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? Billy Williams, with 426 to Tony Perez's 379.
- Who had the higher OPS? Billy Williams, with .853 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average? Billy Williams, with .290 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits? Tony Perez, with 2,732 to Billy Williams's 2,711.
- Who drove in more runs? Tony Perez, with 1,652 to Billy Williams's 1,475.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Billy Williams, with 44,022 career PIV to Tony Perez's 28,896.
- Who won more championships? Tony Perez, with 2 World Series titles to Billy Williams's 0.
Tony Perez
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Tony Perez 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 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Tony Perez | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,777 | 2,488 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 9,778 | 9,350 |
| Runs | 1,272 | Leads: 1,410 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,732 | 2,711 |
| Doubles | Leads: 505 | 434 |
| Triples | 79 | Leads: 88 |
| Home Runs | 379 | Leads: 426 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,652 | 1,475 |
| Walks | 925 | Leads: 1,045 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,867 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | 49 | Leads: 90 |
| Batting Avg | .279 | Leads: .290 |
| On-Base % | .341 | Leads: .361 |
| Slugging % | .463 | Leads: .492 |
| OPS | .804 | Leads: .853 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Williams outpaces Tony Perez 44,022 to 28,896 — driven by per-season impact — 2,446 PIV per season to 1,256 — rather than by longevity, since Billy Williams played 18 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).
Tony Perez — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy Williams leads in home runs, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Tony Perez owns hits and RBI. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Billy Williams. PIV agrees: Billy Williams grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Tony Perez and Billy Williams careers compare
Tony Perez and Billy Williams were active at the same time between 1964 and 1976. The two careers are close in length, 2,777 games for Tony Perez and 2,488 for Billy Williams across 23 and 18 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. At the plate, Tony Perez struck out more than walked (1,867 to 925), and Billy Williams struck out more than walked (1,046 to 1,045). In slugging percentage, Billy Williams holds the edge, .492 to .463. On the peak-season lists, Tony Perez's best year is 1970 at .990 OPS and Billy Williams's is 1972 at 1.005 OPS; Billy Williams has the stronger single season.
Tony Perez vs Billy Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Tony Perez or Billy Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Billy Williams leads Tony Perez in 9 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Tony Perez or Billy Williams hit more home runs?
- Billy Williams, with 426 to Tony Perez's 379.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Billy Williams, with .853 to Tony Perez's .804.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Billy Williams, with .290 to Tony Perez's .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Tony Perez, with 2,732 to Billy Williams's 2,711.