Willie Stargell vs Carl Yastrzemski: Career Stats Comparison

Willie Stargell (1962–1982) and Carl Yastrzemski (1961–1983) — 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; Carl Yastrzemski finished with 3,419 hits and 452 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 →

Carl Yastrzemski

Hitter · 1961–1983
Games
3,308
Hits
3,419
Home Runs
452
RBI
1,844
Avg
.285
OPS
.841
View Carl Yastrzemski's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Willie Stargell Carl Yastrzemski
Games 2,360 3,308
At-Bats 7,927 11,988
Runs 1,194 1,816
Hits 2,232 3,419
Doubles 423 646
Triples 55 59
Home Runs 475 452
RBI 1,540 1,844
Walks 937 1,845
Strikeouts 1,936 1,393
Stolen Bases 17 168
Batting Avg .282 .285
On-Base % .360 .379
Slugging % .529 .462
OPS .889 .841

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Carl Yastrzemski leads Willie Stargell 54,310 to 42,804 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,361 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)
Carl Yastrzemski
54,310
Career PIV · 2,361 per season (23 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

Carl Yastrzemski — top 3 seasons by OPS

19701.044 OPS40 HR, 102 RBI, .329 avg
19671.040 OPS44 HR, 121 RBI, .326 avg
1965.932 OPS20 HR, 72 RBI, .312 avg

Verdict

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

Related Matchups

See These Players in Another Era