Willie Stargell vs Billy Williams: Career Stats Comparison

Willie Stargell (1962–1982) and Billy Williams (1959–1976) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Willie Stargell finished with 2,232 hits and 475 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.

Willie Stargell

Hitter · 1962–1982
Games
2,360
Hits
2,232
Home Runs
475
RBI
1,540
Avg
.282
OPS
.889
View Willie Stargell's full profile →

Billy Williams

Hitter · 1959–1976
Games
2,488
Hits
2,711
Home Runs
426
RBI
1,475
Avg
.290
OPS
.853
View Billy Williams's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Willie Stargell and Billy Williams. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Willie Stargell Billy Williams
Games 2,360 2,488
At-Bats 7,927 9,350
Runs 1,194 1,410
Hits 2,232 2,711
Doubles 423 434
Triples 55 88
Home Runs 475 426
RBI 1,540 1,475
Walks 937 1,045
Strikeouts 1,936 1,046
Stolen Bases 17 90
Batting Avg .282 .290
On-Base % .360 .361
Slugging % .529 .492
OPS .889 .853

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Billy Williams edges Willie Stargell 44,022 to 42,804 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,446 vs 2,038 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Willie Stargell
42,804
Career PIV · 2,038 per season (21 seasons)
Billy Williams
44,022
Career PIV · 2,446 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

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

19731.038 OPS44 HR, 119 RBI, .299 avg
19711.026 OPS48 HR, 125 RBI, .295 avg
1966.962 OPS33 HR, 102 RBI, .315 avg

Billy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS

19721.005 OPS37 HR, 122 RBI, .333 avg
1970.977 OPS42 HR, 129 RBI, .322 avg
1965.929 OPS34 HR, 108 RBI, .315 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Billy Williams leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Willie Stargell owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. 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.

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