Frank Robinson vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Frank Robinson (1956–1976) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Frank Robinson finished with 2,943 hits and 586 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.
Frank Robinson
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Frank Robinson and Billy Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Frank Robinson | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,808 | 2,488 |
| At-Bats | 10,006 | 9,350 |
| Runs | 1,829 | 1,410 |
| Hits | 2,943 | 2,711 |
| Doubles | 528 | 434 |
| Triples | 72 | 88 |
| Home Runs | 586 | 426 |
| RBI | 1,812 | 1,475 |
| Walks | 1,420 | 1,045 |
| Strikeouts | 1,532 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | 204 | 90 |
| Batting Avg | .294 | .290 |
| On-Base % | .389 | .361 |
| Slugging % | .537 | .492 |
| OPS | .926 | .853 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Frank Robinson outpaces Billy Williams 67,113 to 44,022 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (3,051 vs 2,446 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Frank Robinson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Frank Robinson leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Billy Williams owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Frank Robinson. PIV agrees: Frank Robinson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.