Duke Snider vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison
Billy Williams has the better career line of the two, leading 9 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Duke Snider played 1947–1964 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
Duke Snider (1947–1964) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — they broke in during the 1940s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Duke Snider finished with 2,116 hits and 407 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 Duke Snider's 407.
- Who had the higher OPS? Duke Snider, with .919 to Billy Williams's .853.
- Who had the higher batting average? Duke Snider, with .295 to Billy Williams's .290.
- Who had more hits? Billy Williams, with 2,711 to Duke Snider's 2,116.
- Who drove in more runs? Billy Williams, with 1,475 to Duke Snider's 1,333.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Billy Williams, with 44,022 career PIV to Duke Snider's 39,968.
- Who won more championships? Duke Snider, with 2 World Series titles to Billy Williams's 0.
Duke Snider
Billy Williams
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Duke Snider and Billy Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Duke Snider | Billy Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,143 | Leads: 2,488 |
| At-Bats | 7,161 | Leads: 9,350 |
| Runs | 1,259 | Leads: 1,410 |
| Hits | 2,116 | Leads: 2,711 |
| Doubles | 358 | Leads: 434 |
| Triples | 85 | Leads: 88 |
| Home Runs | 407 | Leads: 426 |
| RBI | 1,333 | Leads: 1,475 |
| Walks | 971 | Leads: 1,045 |
| Strikeouts | 1,237 | 1,046 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 99 | 90 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .295 | .290 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .380 | .361 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .540 | .492 |
| OPS | Leads: .919 | .853 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Williams leads Duke Snider 44,022 to 39,968 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,446 vs 2,220 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).
Duke Snider — 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 Duke Snider owns stolen bases, batting average, and 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
Duke Snider vs Billy Williams: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Duke Snider or Billy Williams?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Billy Williams leads Duke Snider in 9 of 14 categories.
- Did Duke Snider or Billy Williams hit more home runs?
- Billy Williams, with 426 to Duke Snider's 407.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Duke Snider, with .919 to Billy Williams's .853.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Duke Snider, with .295 to Billy Williams's .290.
- Who had more hits?
- Billy Williams, with 2,711 to Duke Snider's 2,116.