Jose Bautista vs Lance Berkman: Career Stats Comparison
Lance Berkman has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Jose Bautista played 2004–2018 as a hitter; Lance Berkman played 1999–2013 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
Jose Bautista (2004–2018) and Lance Berkman (1999–2013) — they broke in during the 2000s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jose Bautista finished with 1,496 hits and 344 home runs; Lance Berkman finished with 1,905 hits and 366 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Lance Berkman, with 366 to Jose Bautista's 344.
- Who had the higher OPS? Lance Berkman, with .943 to Jose Bautista's .836.
- Who had the higher batting average? Lance Berkman, with .293 to Jose Bautista's .247.
- Who had more hits? Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Jose Bautista's 1,496.
- Who drove in more runs? Lance Berkman, with 1,234 to Jose Bautista's 975.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Lance Berkman, with 38,575 career PIV to Jose Bautista's 20,890.
- Who won more championships? Lance Berkman, with 1 World Series title to Jose Bautista's 0.
Jose Bautista
Lance Berkman
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jose Bautista and Lance Berkman. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 2000s and the 1990s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Jose Bautista | Lance Berkman |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,798 | Leads: 1,879 |
| At-Bats | 6,051 | Leads: 6,491 |
| Runs | 1,022 | Leads: 1,146 |
| Hits | 1,496 | Leads: 1,905 |
| Doubles | 312 | Leads: 422 |
| Triples | 17 | Leads: 30 |
| Home Runs | 344 | Leads: 366 |
| RBI | 975 | Leads: 1,234 |
| Walks | 1,032 | Leads: 1,201 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,394 | 1,300 |
| Stolen Bases | 70 | Leads: 86 |
| Batting Avg | .247 | Leads: .293 |
| On-Base % | .361 | Leads: .406 |
| Slugging % | .475 | Leads: .537 |
| OPS | .836 | Leads: .943 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Jose Bautista 38,575 to 20,890 — driven by per-season impact — 2,411 PIV per season to 995 — rather than by longevity, since Lance Berkman played 16 seasons to Jose Bautista's 21. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Jose Bautista — top 3 seasons by OPS
Lance Berkman — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Jose Bautista owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Lance Berkman. PIV agrees: Lance Berkman grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Jose Bautista and Lance Berkman careers compare
Jose Bautista and Lance Berkman were active at the same time between 2004 and 2013. The two careers are close in length, 1,798 games for Jose Bautista and 1,879 for Lance Berkman across 21 and 16 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Lance Berkman leads every scored row of the table. Jose Bautista struck out more than walked (1,394 to 1,032); Lance Berkman struck out more than walked (1,300 to 1,201). In slugging percentage, Lance Berkman holds the edge, .537 to .475. Jose Bautista owns the better peak by OPS: 1.056 OPS in 2011 for Jose Bautista against 1.051 OPS in 2001 for Lance Berkman.
Jose Bautista vs Lance Berkman: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jose Bautista or Lance Berkman?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lance Berkman leads Jose Bautista in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jose Bautista or Lance Berkman hit more home runs?
- Lance Berkman, with 366 to Jose Bautista's 344.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Lance Berkman, with .943 to Jose Bautista's .836.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Lance Berkman, with .293 to Jose Bautista's .247.
- Who had more hits?
- Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Jose Bautista's 1,496.