Lance Berkman vs Vladimir Guerrero: Career Stats Comparison

Vladimir Guerrero has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Lance Berkman played 1999–2013 as a hitter; Vladimir Guerrero played 1996–2011 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 Vladimir Guerrero (1996–2011) — 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; Vladimir Guerrero finished with 2,590 hits and 449 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Vladimir Guerrero, with 449 to Lance Berkman's 366.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Lance Berkman, with .943 to Vladimir Guerrero's .931.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Vladimir Guerrero, with .318 to Lance Berkman's .293.
  • Who had more hits? Vladimir Guerrero, with 2,590 to Lance Berkman's 1,905.
  • Who drove in more runs? Vladimir Guerrero, with 1,496 to Lance Berkman's 1,234.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Vladimir Guerrero, with 39,843 career PIV to Lance Berkman's 38,575.
  • Who won more championships? Lance Berkman, with 1 World Series title to Vladimir Guerrero's 0.
Leads Vladimir Guerrero 11 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Vladimir Guerrero +1,268
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 →

Vladimir Guerrero

Hitter · 1996–2011
Games
2,147
Hits
2,590
Home Runs
449
RBI
1,496
Avg
.318
OPS
.931
View Vladimir Guerrero's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Berkman and Vladimir Guerrero. 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 Vladimir Guerrero: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Lance Berkman Vladimir Guerrero
Games 1,879 Leads: 2,147
At-Bats 6,491 Leads: 8,155
Runs 1,146 Leads: 1,328
Hits 1,905 Leads: 2,590
Doubles 422 Leads: 477
Triples 30 Leads: 46
Home Runs 366 Leads: 449
RBI 1,234 Leads: 1,496
Walks Leads: 1,201 737
Strikeouts 1,300 985
Stolen Bases 86 Leads: 181
Batting Avg .293 Leads: .318
On-Base % Leads: .406 .379
Slugging % .537 Leads: .553
OPS Leads: .943 .931

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Vladimir Guerrero edges Lance Berkman 39,843 to 38,575 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,490 vs 2,411 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)
Vladimir Guerrero
39,843
Career PIV · 2,490 per season (16 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

Vladimir Guerrero — top 3 seasons by OPS

20001.074 OPS44 HR, 123 RBI, .345 avg
20031.012 OPS25 HR, 79 RBI, .330 avg
20021.010 OPS39 HR, 111 RBI, .336 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Vladimir Guerrero leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Lance Berkman owns OBP and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Vladimir Guerrero. PIV agrees: Vladimir Guerrero grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Lance Berkman vs Vladimir Guerrero: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Lance Berkman or Vladimir Guerrero?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Vladimir Guerrero leads Lance Berkman in 11 of 14 categories.
Did Lance Berkman or Vladimir Guerrero hit more home runs?
Vladimir Guerrero, with 449 to Lance Berkman's 366.
Who had the higher OPS?
Lance Berkman, with .943 to Vladimir Guerrero's .931.
Who had the higher batting average?
Vladimir Guerrero, with .318 to Lance Berkman's .293.
Who had more hits?
Vladimir Guerrero, with 2,590 to Lance Berkman's 1,905.

See These Players in Another Era