Jason Bay vs Lance Berkman: Career Stats Comparison
Lance Berkman has the better career line of the two, leading 12 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Jason Bay played 2003–2013 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
Jason Bay (2003–2013) and Lance Berkman (1999–2013) — they broke in during the 2000s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Jason Bay finished with 1,200 hits and 222 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 Jason Bay's 222.
- Who had the higher OPS? Lance Berkman, with .943 to Jason Bay's .841.
- Who had the higher batting average? Lance Berkman, with .293 to Jason Bay's .266.
- Who had more hits? Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Jason Bay's 1,200.
- Who drove in more runs? Lance Berkman, with 1,234 to Jason Bay's 754.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Lance Berkman, with 38,575 career PIV to Jason Bay's 12,505.
- Who won more championships? Lance Berkman, with 1 World Series title to Jason Bay's 0.
Lance Berkman
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Jason Bay 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 | Jason Bay | Lance Berkman |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,278 | Leads: 1,879 |
| At-Bats | 4,505 | Leads: 6,491 |
| Runs | 737 | Leads: 1,146 |
| Hits | 1,200 | Leads: 1,905 |
| Doubles | 240 | Leads: 422 |
| Triples | 30 | 30 |
| Home Runs | 222 | Leads: 366 |
| RBI | 754 | Leads: 1,234 |
| Walks | 636 | Leads: 1,201 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,216 | 1,300 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 95 | 86 |
| Batting Avg | .266 | Leads: .293 |
| On-Base % | .360 | Leads: .406 |
| Slugging % | .481 | Leads: .537 |
| OPS | .841 | Leads: .943 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Jason Bay 38,575 to 12,505 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,411 PIV per season to 962, across 16 seasons to 13. 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).
Jason Bay — 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 Jason Bay owns stolen bases. 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 Jason Bay and Lance Berkman careers compare
The careers of Jason Bay (2003–2013) and Lance Berkman (1999–2013) overlapped from 2003 to 2013, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. With 1,278 games against 1,879 across 13 and 16 PIV seasons, neither player's totals owe much to extra seasons. Jason Bay's edges on the table are stolen bases (95 to 86). At the plate, Jason Bay struck out more than walked (1,216 to 636), and Lance Berkman struck out more than walked (1,300 to 1,201). Lance Berkman's on-base percentage of .406 tops Jason Bay's .360. Lance Berkman owns the better peak by OPS: .961 OPS in 2005 for Jason Bay against 1.051 OPS in 2001 for Lance Berkman.
Jason Bay vs Lance Berkman: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Jason Bay or Lance Berkman?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lance Berkman leads Jason Bay in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Jason Bay or Lance Berkman hit more home runs?
- Lance Berkman, with 366 to Jason Bay's 222.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Lance Berkman, with .943 to Jason Bay's .841.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Lance Berkman, with .293 to Jason Bay's .266.
- Who had more hits?
- Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Jason Bay's 1,200.