Ellis Burks vs Jack Clark: Career Stats Comparison

Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Jack Clark (1975–1992) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs; Jack Clark finished with 1,826 hits and 340 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

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 →

Jack Clark

Hitter · 1975–1992
Games
1,994
Hits
1,826
Home Runs
340
RBI
1,180
Avg
.267
OPS
.854
View Jack Clark's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ellis Burks Jack Clark
Games 2,000 1,994
At-Bats 7,232 6,847
Runs 1,253 1,118
Hits 2,107 1,826
Doubles 402 332
Triples 63 39
Home Runs 352 340
RBI 1,206 1,180
Walks 793 1,262
Strikeouts 1,340 1,441
Stolen Bases 181 77
Batting Avg .291 .267
On-Base % .363 .379
Slugging % .510 .476
OPS .874 .854

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Jack Clark leads Ellis Burks 30,243 to 25,806 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,680 vs 1,358 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Ellis Burks
25,806
Career PIV · 1,358 per season (19 seasons)
Jack Clark
30,243
Career PIV · 1,680 per season (18 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

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

Jack Clark — top 3 seasons by OPS

19871.055 OPS35 HR, 106 RBI, .286 avg
1990.974 OPS25 HR, 62 RBI, .266 avg
1980.900 OPS22 HR, 82 RBI, .284 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ellis Burks leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Jack Clark owns OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ellis Burks. Note that PIV actually grades Jack Clark ahead, which means Ellis Burks's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups