Willie Stargell vs Rusty Staub: Career Stats Comparison
Willie Stargell (1962–1982) and Rusty Staub (1963–1985) — both broke in during the 1960s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Willie Stargell finished with 2,232 hits and 475 home runs; Rusty Staub finished with 2,716 hits and 292 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Willie Stargell
Rusty Staub
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willie Stargell and Rusty Staub. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Willie Stargell | Rusty Staub |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,360 | 2,951 |
| At-Bats | 7,927 | 9,720 |
| Runs | 1,194 | 1,189 |
| Hits | 2,232 | 2,716 |
| Doubles | 423 | 499 |
| Triples | 55 | 47 |
| Home Runs | 475 | 292 |
| RBI | 1,540 | 1,466 |
| Walks | 937 | 1,255 |
| Strikeouts | 1,936 | 888 |
| Stolen Bases | 17 | 47 |
| Batting Avg | .282 | .279 |
| On-Base % | .360 | .362 |
| Slugging % | .529 | .431 |
| OPS | .889 | .793 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Willie Stargell outpaces Rusty Staub 42,804 to 30,346 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,038 vs 1,264 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).
Willie Stargell — top 3 seasons by OPS
Rusty Staub — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Willie Stargell leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and batting average, while Rusty Staub owns hits, stolen bases, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Willie Stargell. PIV agrees: Willie Stargell grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.