Austin Riley vs Ron Santo: Career Stats Comparison
Ron Santo 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). Austin Riley has played 2019–present as a hitter; Ron Santo played 1960–1974 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
Austin Riley (2019–present) and Ron Santo (1960–1974) — they broke in during the 2010s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Austin Riley has 974 hits and 188 home runs through October 6, 2026; Ron Santo finished with 2,254 hits and 342 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Ron Santo, with 342 to Austin Riley's 188.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ron Santo, with .826 to Austin Riley's .800.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ron Santo, with .277 to Austin Riley's .263.
- Who had more hits? Ron Santo, with 2,254 to Austin Riley's 974.
- Who drove in more runs? Ron Santo, with 1,331 to Austin Riley's 555.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ron Santo, with 33,743 career PIV to Austin Riley's 8,622.
- Who won more championships? Austin Riley, with 1 World Series title to Ron Santo's 0.
Austin Riley
Ron Santo
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Austin Riley and Ron Santo. 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 2010s and the 1960s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
Austin Riley is still active — his totals below are current through October 6, 2026.
| Statistic | Austin Riley | Ron Santo |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 980 | Leads: 2,243 |
| At-Bats | 3,710 | Leads: 8,143 |
| Runs | 544 | Leads: 1,138 |
| Hits | 974 | Leads: 2,254 |
| Doubles | 189 | Leads: 365 |
| Triples | 13 | Leads: 67 |
| Home Runs | 188 | Leads: 342 |
| RBI | 555 | Leads: 1,331 |
| Walks | 312 | Leads: 1,108 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,112 | 1,343 |
| Stolen Bases | 16 | Leads: 35 |
| Batting Avg | .263 | Leads: .277 |
| On-Base % | .328 | Leads: .362 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .473 | .464 |
| OPS | .800 | Leads: .826 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ron Santo outpaces Austin Riley 33,743 to 8,622 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,250 PIV per season to 1,232, across 15 seasons to 7. 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).
Austin Riley — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ron Santo — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ron Santo leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Austin Riley owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ron Santo. PIV agrees: Ron Santo grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Austin Riley and Ron Santo careers compare
Ron Santo (1960–1974) was finished before Austin Riley (2019–present) arrived, so they never shared a league. Ron Santo has the far longer record, 2,243 games against 980 across 7 and 15 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Where Austin Riley comes out ahead, it is in slugging percentage (.473 to .464). Austin Riley struck out more than walked (1,112 to 312); Ron Santo struck out more than walked (1,343 to 1,108). In slugging percentage, Austin Riley holds the edge, .473 to .464. On the peak-season lists, Austin Riley's best year is 2021 at .898 OPS and Ron Santo's is 1964 at .962 OPS; Ron Santo has the stronger single season. Austin Riley's numbers are live and update with each game, so the comparison is a snapshot.
Austin Riley vs Ron Santo: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Austin Riley or Ron Santo?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ron Santo leads Austin Riley in 13 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Austin Riley or Ron Santo hit more home runs?
- Ron Santo, with 342 to Austin Riley's 188.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ron Santo, with .826 to Austin Riley's .800.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ron Santo, with .277 to Austin Riley's .263.
- Who had more hits?
- Ron Santo, with 2,254 to Austin Riley's 974.