Lance Berkman vs Ryan Braun: Career Stats Comparison

Lance Berkman (1999–2013) and Ryan Braun (2007–2020) — 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; Ryan Braun finished with 1,963 hits and 352 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a 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 →

Ryan Braun

Hitter · 2007–2020
Games
1,766
Hits
1,963
Home Runs
352
RBI
1,154
Avg
.296
OPS
.891
View Ryan Braun's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Berkman and Ryan Braun. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Lance Berkman Ryan Braun
Games 1,879 1,766
At-Bats 6,491 6,622
Runs 1,146 1,080
Hits 1,905 1,963
Doubles 422 408
Triples 30 49
Home Runs 366 352
RBI 1,234 1,154
Walks 1,201 586
Strikeouts 1,300 1,363
Stolen Bases 86 216
Batting Avg .293 .296
On-Base % .406 .358
Slugging % .537 .532
OPS .943 .891

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Ryan Braun 38,575 to 27,762 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,411 vs 1,983 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)
Ryan Braun
27,762
Career PIV · 1,983 per season (14 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

Ryan Braun — top 3 seasons by OPS

20071.004 OPS34 HR, 97 RBI, .324 avg
2011.994 OPS33 HR, 111 RBI, .332 avg
2012.987 OPS41 HR, 112 RBI, .319 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in home runs, RBI, runs, and OBP, while Ryan Braun owns hits, 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.

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