Lance Berkman vs Michael Brantley: 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). Lance Berkman played 1999–2013 as a hitter; Michael Brantley played 2009–2023 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 Michael Brantley (2009–2023) — they broke in during the 1990s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Lance Berkman finished with 1,905 hits and 366 home runs; Michael Brantley finished with 1,656 hits and 129 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 Michael Brantley's 129.
- Who had the higher OPS? Lance Berkman, with .943 to Michael Brantley's .794.
- Who had the higher batting average? Michael Brantley, with .298 to Lance Berkman's .293.
- Who had more hits? Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Michael Brantley's 1,656.
- Who drove in more runs? Lance Berkman, with 1,234 to Michael Brantley's 720.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Lance Berkman, with 38,575 career PIV to Michael Brantley's 11,049.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Lance Berkman
Michael Brantley
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Berkman and Michael Brantley. 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 1990s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Lance Berkman | Michael Brantley |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,879 | 1,445 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 6,491 | 5,566 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,146 | 758 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,905 | 1,656 |
| Doubles | Leads: 422 | 348 |
| Triples | Leads: 30 | 25 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 366 | 129 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,234 | 720 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,201 | 485 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,300 | 658 |
| Stolen Bases | 86 | Leads: 125 |
| Batting Avg | .293 | Leads: .298 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .406 | .355 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .537 | .439 |
| OPS | Leads: .943 | .794 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Michael Brantley 38,575 to 11,049 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,411 PIV per season to 737, across 16 seasons to 15. 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).
Lance Berkman — top 3 seasons by OPS
Michael Brantley — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Michael Brantley owns stolen bases and batting average. 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 Lance Berkman and Michael Brantley careers compare
Lance Berkman and Michael Brantley were active at the same time between 2009 and 2013. The two careers are close in length, 1,879 games for Lance Berkman and 1,445 for Michael Brantley across 16 and 15 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Where Michael Brantley comes out ahead, it is in stolen bases (125 to 86) and batting average (.298 to .293). At the plate, Lance Berkman struck out more than walked (1,300 to 1,201), and Michael Brantley struck out more than walked (658 to 485). Home runs make up a larger share of Lance Berkman's hits: 366 of 1,905 for Lance Berkman, 129 of 1,656 for Michael Brantley.
Lance Berkman vs Michael Brantley: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Lance Berkman or Michael Brantley?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lance Berkman leads Michael Brantley in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Lance Berkman or Michael Brantley hit more home runs?
- Lance Berkman, with 366 to Michael Brantley's 129.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Lance Berkman, with .943 to Michael Brantley's .794.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Michael Brantley, with .298 to Lance Berkman's .293.
- Who had more hits?
- Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Michael Brantley's 1,656.