Albert Belle vs Ellis Burks: Career Stats Comparison

Albert Belle (1989–2000) and Ellis Burks (1987–2004) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Albert Belle finished with 1,726 hits and 381 home runs; Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Albert Belle

Hitter · 1989–2000
Games
1,539
Hits
1,726
Home Runs
381
RBI
1,239
Avg
.295
OPS
.933
View Albert Belle's full profile →

Ellis Burks

Hitter · 1987–2004
Games
2,000
Hits
2,107
Home Runs
352
RBI
1,206
Avg
.291
OPS
.874
View Ellis Burks's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Albert Belle and Ellis Burks. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Albert Belle Ellis Burks
Games 1,539 2,000
At-Bats 5,853 7,232
Runs 974 1,253
Hits 1,726 2,107
Doubles 389 402
Triples 21 63
Home Runs 381 352
RBI 1,239 1,206
Walks 683 793
Strikeouts 961 1,340
Stolen Bases 88 181
Batting Avg .295 .291
On-Base % .369 .363
Slugging % .564 .510
OPS .933 .874

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Albert Belle leads Ellis Burks 29,356 to 25,806 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,446 vs 1,358 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Albert Belle
29,356
Career PIV · 2,446 per season (12 seasons)
Ellis Burks
25,806
Career PIV · 1,358 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).

Albert Belle — top 3 seasons by OPS

19941.152 OPS36 HR, 101 RBI, .357 avg
19951.091 OPS50 HR, 126 RBI, .317 avg
19981.055 OPS49 HR, 152 RBI, .328 avg

Ellis Burks — top 3 seasons by OPS

19961.047 OPS40 HR, 128 RBI, .344 avg
20001.025 OPS24 HR, 96 RBI, .344 avg
1999.964 OPS31 HR, 96 RBI, .282 avg

Verdict

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

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