Ron Santo vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Billy Williams has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Ron Santo played 1960–1974 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
Ron Santo (1960–1974) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ron Santo finished with 2,254 hits and 342 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 Ron Santo's 342.
- Who had the higher OPS? Billy Williams, with .853 to Ron Santo's .826.
- Who had the higher batting average? Billy Williams, with .290 to Ron Santo's .277.
- Who had more hits? Billy Williams, with 2,711 to Ron Santo's 2,254.
- Who drove in more runs? Billy Williams, with 1,475 to Ron Santo's 1,331.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Billy Williams, with 44,022 career PIV to Ron Santo's 33,743.
Ron Santo
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ron Santo 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 | Ron Santo | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,243 | Leads: 2,488 |
| At-Bats | 8,143 | Leads: 9,350 |
| Runs | 1,138 | Leads: 1,410 |
| Hits | 2,254 | Leads: 2,711 |
| Doubles | 365 | Leads: 434 |
| Triples | 67 | Leads: 88 |
| Home Runs | 342 | Leads: 426 |
| RBI | 1,331 | Leads: 1,475 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,108 | 1,045 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,343 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | 35 | Leads: 90 |
| Batting Avg | .277 | Leads: .290 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .362 | .361 |
| Slugging % | .464 | Leads: .492 |
| OPS | .826 | Leads: .853 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Williams leads Ron Santo 44,022 to 33,743 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,446 PIV per season to 2,250, across 18 seasons to 15. 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).
Ron Santo — top 3 seasons by OPS
Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Billy Williams leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ron Santo owns OBP. 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 Ron Santo and Billy Williams careers compare
The careers of Ron Santo (1960–1974) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) overlapped from 1960 to 1974, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 2,243 games against 2,488 across 15 and 18 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. The green cells for Ron Santo are walks (1,108 to 1,045) and on-base percentage (.362 to .361). At the plate, Ron Santo struck out more than walked (1,343 to 1,108), and Billy Williams struck out more than walked (1,046 to 1,045). In on-base percentage, Ron Santo holds the edge, .362 to .361.
Ron Santo vs Billy Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ron Santo or Billy Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Billy Williams leads Ron Santo in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Ron Santo or Billy Williams hit more home runs?
- Billy Williams, with 426 to Ron Santo's 342.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Billy Williams, with .853 to Ron Santo's .826.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Billy Williams, with .290 to Ron Santo's .277.
- Who had more hits?
- Billy Williams, with 2,711 to Ron Santo's 2,254.