Pete Rose vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Pete Rose (1963–1986) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Pete Rose finished with 4,256 hits and 160 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.
Pete Rose
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Pete Rose 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 | Pete Rose | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 3,562 | 2,488 |
| At-Bats | 14,053 | 9,350 |
| Runs | 2,165 | 1,410 |
| Hits | 4,256 | 2,711 |
| Doubles | 746 | 434 |
| Triples | 135 | 88 |
| Home Runs | 160 | 426 |
| RBI | 1,314 | 1,475 |
| Walks | 1,566 | 1,045 |
| Strikeouts | 1,143 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | 198 | 90 |
| Batting Avg | .303 | .290 |
| On-Base % | .375 | .361 |
| Slugging % | .409 | .492 |
| OPS | .784 | .853 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Williams edges Pete Rose 44,022 to 40,772 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,446 vs 1,631 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).
Pete Rose — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Pete Rose leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Billy Williams owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Pete Rose. Note that PIV actually grades Billy Williams ahead, which means Pete Rose's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.