Lance Berkman vs Barry Bonds: Career Stats Comparison

Barry Bonds has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Lance Berkman played 1999–2013 as a hitter; Barry Bonds played 1986–2007 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

Lance Berkman (1999–2013) and Barry Bonds (1986–2007) — they broke in during the 1990s and the 1980s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Lance Berkman finished with 1,905 hits and 366 home runs; Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Barry Bonds, with 762 to Lance Berkman's 366.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Lance Berkman's .943.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Barry Bonds, with .298 to Lance Berkman's .293.
  • Who had more hits? Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Lance Berkman's 1,905.
  • Who drove in more runs? Barry Bonds, with 1,996 to Lance Berkman's 1,234.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Barry Bonds, with 96,025 career PIV to Lance Berkman's 38,575.
  • Who won more championships? Lance Berkman, with 1 World Series title to Barry Bonds's 0.
Leads Barry Bonds 14 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Barry Bonds +57,450
Read the verdict ↓

Lance Berkman

Hitter · 1999–2013
Games
1,879
Hits
1,905
Home Runs
366
RBI
1,234
Avg
.293
OPS
.943
View Lance Berkman's full profile →

Barry Bonds

Hitter · 1986–2007
Games
2,986
Hits
2,935
Home Runs
762
RBI
1,996
Avg
.298
OPS
1.051
View Barry Bonds's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Berkman and Barry Bonds. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

Lance Berkman vs Barry Bonds: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Lance Berkman Barry Bonds
Games 1,879 Leads: 2,986
At-Bats 6,491 Leads: 9,847
Runs 1,146 Leads: 2,227
Hits 1,905 Leads: 2,935
Doubles 422 Leads: 601
Triples 30 Leads: 77
Home Runs 366 Leads: 762
RBI 1,234 Leads: 1,996
Walks 1,201 Leads: 2,558
Strikeouts 1,300 1,539
Stolen Bases 86 Leads: 514
Batting Avg .293 Leads: .298
On-Base % .406 Leads: .444
Slugging % .537 Leads: .607
OPS .943 Leads: 1.051

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds outpaces Lance Berkman 96,025 to 38,575 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,365 vs 2,411 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Lance Berkman
38,575
Career PIV · 2,411 per season (16 seasons)
Barry Bonds
96,025
Career PIV · 4,365 per season (22 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

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

Lance Berkman — top 3 seasons by OPS

20011.051 OPS34 HR, 126 RBI, .331 avg
20061.041 OPS45 HR, 136 RBI, .315 avg
20041.016 OPS30 HR, 106 RBI, .316 avg

Barry Bonds — top 3 seasons by OPS

20041.422 OPS45 HR, 101 RBI, .362 avg
20021.381 OPS46 HR, 110 RBI, .370 avg
20011.379 OPS73 HR, 137 RBI, .328 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Lance Berkman owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Barry Bonds. PIV agrees: Barry Bonds grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Lance Berkman vs Barry Bonds: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Lance Berkman or Barry Bonds?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Barry Bonds leads Lance Berkman in 14 of 14 categories.
Did Lance Berkman or Barry Bonds hit more home runs?
Barry Bonds, with 762 to Lance Berkman's 366.
Who had the higher OPS?
Barry Bonds, with 1.051 to Lance Berkman's .943.
Who had the higher batting average?
Barry Bonds, with .298 to Lance Berkman's .293.
Who had more hits?
Barry Bonds, with 2,935 to Lance Berkman's 1,905.

See These Players in Another Era