Ellis Burks vs Ken Griffey: Career Stats Comparison
Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Ken Griffey (1989–2010) — 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; Ken Griffey finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Ellis Burks
Ken Griffey
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ellis Burks and Ken Griffey. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Ellis Burks | Ken Griffey |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,000 | 2,671 |
| At-Bats | 7,232 | 9,801 |
| Runs | 1,253 | 1,662 |
| Hits | 2,107 | 2,781 |
| Doubles | 402 | 524 |
| Triples | 63 | 38 |
| Home Runs | 352 | 630 |
| RBI | 1,206 | 1,836 |
| Walks | 793 | 1,312 |
| Strikeouts | 1,340 | 1,779 |
| Stolen Bases | 181 | 184 |
| Batting Avg | .291 | .284 |
| On-Base % | .363 | .370 |
| Slugging % | .510 | .538 |
| OPS | .874 | .907 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey outpaces Ellis Burks 43,975 to 25,806 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,912 vs 1,358 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
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
Ken Griffey — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Ken Griffey leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ellis Burks owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ken Griffey. PIV agrees: Ken Griffey grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.