Lance Berkman vs Jose Canseco: Career Stats Comparison

Lance Berkman (1999–2013) and Jose Canseco (1985–2001) — 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; Jose Canseco finished with 1,877 hits and 462 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 →

Jose Canseco

Hitter · 1985–2001
Games
1,887
Hits
1,877
Home Runs
462
RBI
1,407
Avg
.266
OPS
.867
View Jose Canseco's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Lance Berkman Jose Canseco
Games 1,879 1,887
At-Bats 6,491 7,057
Runs 1,146 1,186
Hits 1,905 1,877
Doubles 422 340
Triples 30 14
Home Runs 366 462
RBI 1,234 1,407
Walks 1,201 906
Strikeouts 1,300 1,942
Stolen Bases 86 200
Batting Avg .293 .266
On-Base % .406 .353
Slugging % .537 .515
OPS .943 .867

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Jose Canseco 38,575 to 24,754 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,411 vs 1,303 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)
Jose Canseco
24,754
Career PIV · 1,303 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).

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

Jose Canseco — top 3 seasons by OPS

1996.989 OPS28 HR, 82 RBI, .289 avg
1988.959 OPS42 HR, 124 RBI, .307 avg
1994.939 OPS31 HR, 90 RBI, .282 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in hits, batting average, OBP, and OPS, while Jose Canseco owns home runs, RBI, and runs. 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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