Barry Bonds vs Ellis Burks: Career Stats Comparison

Barry Bonds (1986–2007) and Ellis Burks (1987–2004) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Barry Bonds finished with 2,935 hits and 762 home runs; Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Barry Bonds

Hitter · 1986–2007
Games
2,986
Hits
2,935
Home Runs
762
RBI
1,996
Avg
.298
OPS
1.051
View Barry Bonds's full profile →

Ellis Burks

Hitter · 1987–2004
Games
2,000
Hits
2,107
Home Runs
352
RBI
1,206
Avg
.291
OPS
.874
View Ellis Burks's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Barry Bonds and Ellis Burks. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Barry Bonds Ellis Burks
Games 2,986 2,000
At-Bats 9,847 7,232
Runs 2,227 1,253
Hits 2,935 2,107
Doubles 601 402
Triples 77 63
Home Runs 762 352
RBI 1,996 1,206
Walks 2,558 793
Strikeouts 1,539 1,340
Stolen Bases 514 181
Batting Avg .298 .291
On-Base % .444 .363
Slugging % .607 .510
OPS 1.051 .874

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Barry Bonds outpaces Ellis Burks 96,025 to 25,806 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (4,365 vs 1,358 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Barry Bonds
96,025
Career PIV · 4,365 per season (22 seasons)
Ellis Burks
25,806
Career PIV · 1,358 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).

Barry Bonds — top 3 seasons by OPS

20041.422 OPS45 HR, 101 RBI, .362 avg
20021.381 OPS46 HR, 110 RBI, .370 avg
20011.379 OPS73 HR, 137 RBI, .328 avg

Ellis Burks — top 3 seasons by OPS

19961.047 OPS40 HR, 128 RBI, .344 avg
20001.025 OPS24 HR, 96 RBI, .344 avg
1999.964 OPS31 HR, 96 RBI, .282 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Barry Bonds leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ellis Burks owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Barry Bonds. PIV agrees: Barry Bonds grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

See These Players in Another Era