Babe Ruth vs Ken Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Babe Ruth (1914–1935) and Ken Williams (1915–1929) — both broke in during the 1910s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Babe Ruth finished with 2,873 hits and 714 home runs; Ken Williams finished with 1,552 hits and 196 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Babe Ruth
Ken Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Babe Ruth and Ken Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Babe Ruth | Ken Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,503 | 1,397 |
| At-Bats | 8,398 | 4,862 |
| Runs | 2,174 | 860 |
| Hits | 2,873 | 1,552 |
| Doubles | 506 | 285 |
| Triples | 136 | 77 |
| Home Runs | 714 | 196 |
| RBI | 2,217 | 913 |
| Walks | 2,062 | 566 |
| Strikeouts | 1,330 | 287 |
| Stolen Bases | 123 | 154 |
| Batting Avg | .342 | .319 |
| On-Base % | .474 | .393 |
| Slugging % | .690 | .530 |
| OPS | 1.164 | .924 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Babe Ruth outpaces Ken Williams 111,979 to 26,593 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (5,090 vs 1,900 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).
Babe Ruth — top 3 seasons by OPS
Ken Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Babe Ruth leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ken Williams owns stolen bases. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Babe Ruth. PIV agrees: Babe Ruth grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.