Lance Berkman vs Juan Gonzalez: Career Stats Comparison

Lance Berkman (1999–2013) and Juan Gonzalez (1989–2005) — 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; Juan Gonzalez finished with 1,936 hits and 434 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 →

Juan Gonzalez

Hitter · 1989–2005
Games
1,689
Hits
1,936
Home Runs
434
RBI
1,404
Avg
.295
OPS
.904
View Juan Gonzalez's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Lance Berkman Juan Gonzalez
Games 1,879 1,689
At-Bats 6,491 6,556
Runs 1,146 1,061
Hits 1,905 1,936
Doubles 422 388
Triples 30 25
Home Runs 366 434
RBI 1,234 1,404
Walks 1,201 457
Strikeouts 1,300 1,273
Stolen Bases 86 26
Batting Avg .293 .295
On-Base % .406 .343
Slugging % .537 .561
OPS .943 .904

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Juan Gonzalez 38,575 to 25,105 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,411 vs 1,477 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)
Juan Gonzalez
25,105
Career PIV · 1,477 per season (17 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

Juan Gonzalez — top 3 seasons by OPS

19961.011 OPS47 HR, 144 RBI, .314 avg
19931.000 OPS46 HR, 118 RBI, .310 avg
1998.997 OPS45 HR, 157 RBI, .318 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in runs, stolen bases, OBP, and OPS, while Juan Gonzalez owns hits, home runs, and RBI. 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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