Ellis Burks vs Ken Griffey Jr.: Career Stats Comparison
Ken Griffey Jr. has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 12 scored categories on this page (3 further counting totals are shown but not scored). Ellis Burks played 1987–2004 as a hitter; Ken Griffey Jr. played 1989–2010 as a hitter.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1989–2010) — both debuted in the 1980s. Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs; Ken Griffey Jr. finished with 2,781 hits and 630 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who leads the career comparison? Ken Griffey Jr., in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Who hit more home runs? Ken Griffey Jr., with 630 to Ellis Burks's 352.
- Who had the higher OPS? Ken Griffey Jr., with .907 to Ellis Burks's .874.
- Who had the higher batting average? Ellis Burks, with .291 to Ken Griffey Jr.'s .284.
- Who had more hits? Ken Griffey Jr., with 2,781 to Ellis Burks's 2,107.
- Who drove in more runs? Ken Griffey Jr., with 1,836 to Ellis Burks's 1,206.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Ken Griffey Jr., with 43,975 career PIV to Ellis Burks's 25,806.
Ellis Burks
Ken Griffey Jr.
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ellis Burks and Ken Griffey Jr.. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 12 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other 3 are shown but not scored. Games and at-bats measure playing time, strikeouts accumulate with a longer career, and a line where both players are at zero was won by neither, so those are left unmarked. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, so read them against the run environment each player worked in, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Ellis Burks | Ken Griffey Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Games not scored | 2,000 | 2,671 |
| At-Bats not scored | 7,232 | 9,801 |
| Runs | 1,253 | Leads: 1,662 |
| Hits | 2,107 | Leads: 2,781 |
| Doubles | 402 | Leads: 524 |
| Triples | Leads: 63 | 38 |
| Home Runs | 352 | Leads: 630 |
| RBI | 1,206 | Leads: 1,836 |
| Walks | 793 | Leads: 1,312 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 1,340 | 1,779 |
| Stolen Bases | 181 | Leads: 184 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .291 | .284 |
| On-Base % | .363 | Leads: .370 |
| Slugging % | .510 | Leads: .538 |
| OPS | .874 | Leads: .907 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ken Griffey Jr. outpaces Ellis Burks 43,975 to 25,806 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 1,999 PIV per season to 1,434, across 22 seasons to 18. 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 Jr. — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
Ken Griffey Jr. leads 10 of the 12 scored categories on the head-to-head card: runs, hits, doubles, home runs, and others. Ellis Burks leads 2: triples and batting average. On the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Ken Griffey Jr.. PIV agrees: Ken Griffey Jr. grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Ellis Burks and Ken Griffey Jr. careers compare
The careers of Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1989–2010) overlapped from 1989 to 2004, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. The two careers are close in length, 2,000 games for Ellis Burks and 2,671 for Ken Griffey Jr. across 18 and 22 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. Ellis Burks's edges on the table are triples (63 to 38) and batting average (.291 to .284). At the plate, Ellis Burks struck out more than walked (1,340 to 793), and Ken Griffey Jr. struck out more than walked (1,779 to 1,312).
Ellis Burks vs Ken Griffey Jr.: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Ellis Burks or Ken Griffey Jr.?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Ken Griffey Jr. leads Ellis Burks in 10 of the 12 scored categories.
- Did Ellis Burks or Ken Griffey Jr. hit more home runs?
- Ken Griffey Jr., with 630 to Ellis Burks's 352.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Ken Griffey Jr., with .907 to Ellis Burks's .874.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Ellis Burks, with .291 to Ken Griffey Jr.'s .284.
- Who had more hits?
- Ken Griffey Jr., with 2,781 to Ellis Burks's 2,107.