Paul Waner vs Cy Williams: Career Stats Comparison

Paul Waner (1926–1945) and Cy Williams (1912–1930) — they broke in during the 1920s and the 1910s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Paul Waner finished with 3,152 hits and 113 home runs; Cy Williams finished with 1,981 hits and 251 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Paul Waner

Hitter · 1926–1945
Games
2,549
Hits
3,152
Home Runs
113
RBI
1,309
Avg
.333
OPS
.878
View Paul Waner's full profile →

Cy Williams

Hitter · 1912–1930
Games
2,002
Hits
1,981
Home Runs
251
RBI
1,005
Avg
.292
OPS
.835
View Cy Williams's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Paul Waner Cy Williams
Games 2,549 2,002
At-Bats 9,459 6,780
Runs 1,627 1,024
Hits 3,152 1,981
Doubles 605 306
Triples 191 74
Home Runs 113 251
RBI 1,309 1,005
Walks 1,091 690
Strikeouts 376 721
Stolen Bases 104 115
Batting Avg .333 .292
On-Base % .404 .365
Slugging % .473 .470
OPS .878 .835

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Paul Waner outpaces Cy Williams 40,296 to 24,595 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,832 vs 1,294 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Paul Waner
40,296
Career PIV · 1,832 per season (22 seasons)
Cy Williams
24,595
Career PIV · 1,294 per season (19 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Paul Waner — top 3 seasons by OPS

1928.992 OPS6 HR, 86 RBI, .370 avg
1927.986 OPS9 HR, 131 RBI, .380 avg
1934.968 OPS14 HR, 90 RBI, .362 avg

Cy Williams — top 3 seasons by OPS

1926.986 OPS18 HR, 53 RBI, .345 avg
1925.958 OPS13 HR, 60 RBI, .331 avg
1924.955 OPS24 HR, 93 RBI, .328 avg

Verdict

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

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