Lance Berkman vs Josh Hamilton: Career Stats Comparison
Lance Berkman has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Lance Berkman played 1999–2013 as a hitter; Josh Hamilton played 2007–2015 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 Josh Hamilton (2007–2015) — 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; Josh Hamilton finished with 1,134 hits and 200 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Lance Berkman, with 366 to Josh Hamilton's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Lance Berkman, with .943 to Josh Hamilton's .865.
- Who had the higher batting average? Lance Berkman, with .293 to Josh Hamilton's .290.
- Who had more hits? Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Josh Hamilton's 1,134.
- Who drove in more runs? Lance Berkman, with 1,234 to Josh Hamilton's 701.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Lance Berkman, with 38,575 career PIV to Josh Hamilton's 13,689.
- Who won more championships? Lance Berkman, with 1 World Series title to Josh Hamilton's 0.
Lance Berkman
Josh Hamilton
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Berkman and Josh Hamilton. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1990s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Lance Berkman | Josh Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,879 | 1,027 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 6,491 | 3,909 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,146 | 609 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,905 | 1,134 |
| Doubles | Leads: 422 | 234 |
| Triples | Leads: 30 | 24 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 366 | 200 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,234 | 701 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,201 | 352 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,300 | 938 |
| Stolen Bases | Leads: 86 | 50 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .293 | .290 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .406 | .349 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .537 | .516 |
| OPS | Leads: .943 | .865 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Josh Hamilton 38,575 to 13,689 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,411 PIV per season to 1,521, across 16 seasons to 9. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
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
Josh Hamilton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Josh Hamilton owns no headline categories. 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
How the Lance Berkman and Josh Hamilton careers compare
The careers of Lance Berkman (1999–2013) and Josh Hamilton (2007–2015) overlapped from 2007 to 2013, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Lance Berkman has the far longer record, 1,879 games against 1,027 across 16 and 9 PIV seasons, which inflates every career total. Lance Berkman leads every scored row of the table. At the plate, Lance Berkman struck out more than walked (1,300 to 1,201), and Josh Hamilton struck out more than walked (938 to 352). Lance Berkman owns the better peak by OPS: 1.051 OPS in 2001 for Lance Berkman against 1.044 OPS in 2010 for Josh Hamilton.
Lance Berkman vs Josh Hamilton: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Lance Berkman or Josh Hamilton?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lance Berkman leads Josh Hamilton in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Lance Berkman or Josh Hamilton hit more home runs?
- Lance Berkman, with 366 to Josh Hamilton's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Lance Berkman, with .943 to Josh Hamilton's .865.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Lance Berkman, with .293 to Josh Hamilton's .290.
- Who had more hits?
- Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Josh Hamilton's 1,134.