Al Simmons vs Ken Williams: Career Stats Comparison

Al Simmons (1924–1944) and Ken Williams (1915–1929) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Al Simmons finished with 2,927 hits and 307 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.

Al Simmons

Hitter · 1924–1944
Games
2,215
Hits
2,927
Home Runs
307
RBI
1,827
Avg
.334
OPS
.915
View Al Simmons's full profile →

Ken Williams

Hitter · 1915–1929
Games
1,397
Hits
1,552
Home Runs
196
RBI
913
Avg
.319
OPS
.924
View Ken Williams's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Al Simmons 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 Al Simmons Ken Williams
Games 2,215 1,397
At-Bats 8,759 4,862
Runs 1,507 860
Hits 2,927 1,552
Doubles 539 285
Triples 149 77
Home Runs 307 196
RBI 1,827 913
Walks 615 566
Strikeouts 737 287
Stolen Bases 88 154
Batting Avg .334 .319
On-Base % .380 .393
Slugging % .535 .530
OPS .915 .924

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Simmons outpaces Ken Williams 40,529 to 26,593 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,930 vs 1,900 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Al Simmons
40,529
Career PIV · 1,930 per season (21 seasons)
Ken Williams
26,593
Career PIV · 1,900 per season (14 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Al Simmons — top 3 seasons by OPS

19301.130 OPS36 HR, 165 RBI, .381 avg
19311.085 OPS22 HR, 128 RBI, .390 avg
19271.081 OPS15 HR, 108 RBI, .392 avg

Ken Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS

19231.062 OPS29 HR, 91 RBI, .357 avg
19221.040 OPS39 HR, 155 RBI, .332 avg
19251.003 OPS25 HR, 105 RBI, .331 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Al Simmons leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ken Williams owns stolen bases, OBP, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Al Simmons. PIV agrees: Al Simmons grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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