Ellis Burks vs Roger Clemens: Career Stats Comparison

Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Roger Clemens (1984–2007) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs; Roger Clemens finished with 31 hits and 0 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 →

Roger Clemens

Two-Way Player · 1984–2007
Games
709
Hits
31
Home Runs
0
RBI
12
Avg
.173
OPS
.443
View Roger Clemens's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ellis Burks Roger Clemens
Games 2,000 709
At-Bats 7,232 179
Runs 1,253 5
Hits 2,107 31
Doubles 402 6
Triples 63 0
Home Runs 352 0
RBI 1,206 12
Walks 793 13
Strikeouts 1,340 61
Stolen Bases 181 0
Batting Avg .291 .173
On-Base % .363 .236
Slugging % .510 .207
OPS .874 .443

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ellis Burks outpaces Roger Clemens 25,806 to -869 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,358 vs -36 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)
Roger Clemens
-869
Career PIV · -36 per season (24 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

Roger Clemens — top 0 seasons by OPS

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Ellis Burks leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Roger Clemens owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ellis Burks. PIV agrees: Ellis Burks 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