Lance Berkman vs Jim Edmonds: Career Stats Comparison

Lance Berkman has the better career line of the two, leading 8 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Lance Berkman played 1999–2013 as a hitter; Jim Edmonds played 1993–2010 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 Jim Edmonds (1993–2010) — both broke in during the 1990s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Lance Berkman finished with 1,905 hits and 366 home runs; Jim Edmonds finished with 1,949 hits and 393 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Jim Edmonds, with 393 to Lance Berkman's 366.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Lance Berkman, with .943 to Jim Edmonds's .903.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Lance Berkman, with .293 to Jim Edmonds's .284.
  • Who had more hits? Jim Edmonds, with 1,949 to Lance Berkman's 1,905.
  • Who drove in more runs? Lance Berkman, with 1,234 to Jim Edmonds's 1,199.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Lance Berkman, with 38,575 career PIV to Jim Edmonds's 28,444.
  • Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Leads Lance Berkman 8 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Lance Berkman +10,132
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 →

Jim Edmonds

Hitter · 1993–2010
Games
2,011
Hits
1,949
Home Runs
393
RBI
1,199
Avg
.284
OPS
.903
View Jim Edmonds's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Berkman and Jim Edmonds. 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 Jim Edmonds: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Lance Berkman Jim Edmonds
Games 1,879 Leads: 2,011
At-Bats 6,491 Leads: 6,858
Runs 1,146 Leads: 1,251
Hits 1,905 Leads: 1,949
Doubles 422 Leads: 437
Triples Leads: 30 25
Home Runs 366 Leads: 393
RBI Leads: 1,234 1,199
Walks Leads: 1,201 998
Strikeouts 1,300 1,729
Stolen Bases Leads: 86 67
Batting Avg Leads: .293 .284
On-Base % Leads: .406 .376
Slugging % Leads: .537 .527
OPS Leads: .943 .903

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Jim Edmonds 38,575 to 28,444 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,411 vs 1,497 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)
Jim Edmonds
28,444
Career PIV · 1,497 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

Jim Edmonds — top 3 seasons by OPS

20041.061 OPS42 HR, 111 RBI, .301 avg
20031.002 OPS39 HR, 89 RBI, .275 avg
2000.994 OPS42 HR, 108 RBI, .295 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in RBI, stolen bases, batting average, and OBP, while Jim Edmonds owns hits, home runs, 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.

Related Matchups

Lance Berkman vs Jim Edmonds: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Lance Berkman or Jim Edmonds?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Lance Berkman leads Jim Edmonds in 8 of 14 categories.
Did Lance Berkman or Jim Edmonds hit more home runs?
Jim Edmonds, with 393 to Lance Berkman's 366.
Who had the higher OPS?
Lance Berkman, with .943 to Jim Edmonds's .903.
Who had the higher batting average?
Lance Berkman, with .293 to Jim Edmonds's .284.
Who had more hits?
Jim Edmonds, with 1,949 to Lance Berkman's 1,905.

See These Players in Another Era