Ellis Burks vs Vladimir Guerrero: Career Stats Comparison

Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Vladimir Guerrero (1996–2011) — 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; Vladimir Guerrero finished with 2,590 hits and 449 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 →

Vladimir Guerrero

Hitter · 1996–2011
Games
2,147
Hits
2,590
Home Runs
449
RBI
1,496
Avg
.318
OPS
.931
View Vladimir Guerrero's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ellis Burks Vladimir Guerrero
Games 2,000 2,147
At-Bats 7,232 8,155
Runs 1,253 1,328
Hits 2,107 2,590
Doubles 402 477
Triples 63 46
Home Runs 352 449
RBI 1,206 1,496
Walks 793 737
Strikeouts 1,340 985
Stolen Bases 181 181
Batting Avg .291 .318
On-Base % .363 .379
Slugging % .510 .553
OPS .874 .931

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Vladimir Guerrero outpaces Ellis Burks 39,843 to 25,806 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,490 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)
Vladimir Guerrero
39,843
Career PIV · 2,490 per season (16 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

Vladimir Guerrero — top 3 seasons by OPS

20001.074 OPS44 HR, 123 RBI, .345 avg
20031.012 OPS25 HR, 79 RBI, .330 avg
20021.010 OPS39 HR, 111 RBI, .336 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Vladimir Guerrero leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Ellis Burks owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Vladimir Guerrero. PIV agrees: Vladimir Guerrero grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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