Ellis Burks vs Luis Gonzalez: Career Stats Comparison

Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Luis Gonzalez (1990–2008) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1990s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs; Luis Gonzalez finished with 2,591 hits and 354 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 →

Luis Gonzalez

Hitter · 1990–2008
Games
2,591
Hits
2,591
Home Runs
354
RBI
1,439
Avg
.283
OPS
.845
View Luis Gonzalez's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ellis Burks Luis Gonzalez
Games 2,000 2,591
At-Bats 7,232 9,157
Runs 1,253 1,412
Hits 2,107 2,591
Doubles 402 596
Triples 63 68
Home Runs 352 354
RBI 1,206 1,439
Walks 793 1,155
Strikeouts 1,340 1,218
Stolen Bases 181 128
Batting Avg .291 .283
On-Base % .363 .367
Slugging % .510 .479
OPS .874 .845

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ellis Burks edges Luis Gonzalez 25,806 to 24,585 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,358 vs 1,229 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)
Luis Gonzalez
24,585
Career PIV · 1,229 per season (20 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

Luis Gonzalez — top 3 seasons by OPS

20011.117 OPS57 HR, 142 RBI, .325 avg
1999.952 OPS26 HR, 111 RBI, .336 avg
2000.935 OPS31 HR, 114 RBI, .311 avg

Verdict

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

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