Lance Berkman vs Hunter Pence: Career Stats Comparison
Lance Berkman has the better career line of the two, leading 12 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; Hunter Pence played 2007–2020 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 Hunter Pence (2007–2020) — 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; Hunter Pence finished with 1,791 hits and 244 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 Hunter Pence's 244.
- Who had the higher OPS? Lance Berkman, with .943 to Hunter Pence's .794.
- Who had the higher batting average? Lance Berkman, with .293 to Hunter Pence's .279.
- Who had more hits? Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Hunter Pence's 1,791.
- Who drove in more runs? Lance Berkman, with 1,234 to Hunter Pence's 942.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Lance Berkman, with 38,575 career PIV to Hunter Pence's 10,190.
- Who won more championships? Hunter Pence, with 2 World Series titles to Lance Berkman's 1.
Lance Berkman
Hunter Pence
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Lance Berkman and Hunter Pence. 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 | Hunter Pence |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 1,879 | 1,707 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 6,491 | 6,420 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,146 | 891 |
| Hits | Leads: 1,905 | 1,791 |
| Doubles | Leads: 422 | 324 |
| Triples | 30 | Leads: 55 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 366 | 244 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,234 | 942 |
| Walks | Leads: 1,201 | 520 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,300 | 1,335 |
| Stolen Bases | 86 | Leads: 120 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .293 | .279 |
| On-Base % | Leads: .406 | .334 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .537 | .461 |
| OPS | Leads: .943 | .794 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Lance Berkman outpaces Hunter Pence 38,575 to 10,190 — driven by per-season impact — 2,411 PIV per season to 637 — rather than by longevity, since Lance Berkman played 16 seasons to Hunter Pence's 16. 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
Hunter Pence — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Lance Berkman leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Hunter Pence owns stolen bases. 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 Hunter Pence careers compare
The careers of Lance Berkman (1999–2013) and Hunter Pence (2007–2020) overlapped from 2007 to 2013, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 1,879 games for Lance Berkman and 1,707 for Hunter Pence across 16 and 16 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Hunter Pence are triples (55 to 30) and stolen bases (120 to 86). At the plate, Lance Berkman struck out more than walked (1,300 to 1,201), and Hunter Pence struck out more than walked (1,335 to 520).
Lance Berkman vs Hunter Pence: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Lance Berkman or Hunter Pence?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Lance Berkman leads Hunter Pence in 12 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Lance Berkman or Hunter Pence hit more home runs?
- Lance Berkman, with 366 to Hunter Pence's 244.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Lance Berkman, with .943 to Hunter Pence's .794.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Lance Berkman, with .293 to Hunter Pence's .279.
- Who had more hits?
- Lance Berkman, with 1,905 to Hunter Pence's 1,791.