Ellis Burks vs Vladimir Guerrero: Career Stats Comparison

Vladimir Guerrero has the better career line of the two, leading 11 of the 13 statistical categories compared on this page. Ellis Burks played 1987–2004 as a hitter; Vladimir Guerrero played 1996–2011 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 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.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Vladimir Guerrero, with 449 to Ellis Burks's 352.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Vladimir Guerrero, with .931 to Ellis Burks's .874.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Vladimir Guerrero, with .318 to Ellis Burks's .291.
  • Who had more hits? Vladimir Guerrero, with 2,590 to Ellis Burks's 2,107.
  • Who drove in more runs? Vladimir Guerrero, with 1,496 to Ellis Burks's 1,206.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Vladimir Guerrero, with 39,843 career PIV to Ellis Burks's 25,806.
  • Who won more championships? Ellis Burks, with 1 World Series title to Vladimir Guerrero's 0.
Leads Vladimir Guerrero 11 of 13 awarded categories
PIV edge Vladimir Guerrero +14,038
Read the 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, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted -- a .305 in 1965 and a .298 in 2001 came out of very different run environments -- so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.

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

Related Matchups

Ellis Burks vs Vladimir Guerrero: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Ellis Burks or Vladimir Guerrero?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Vladimir Guerrero leads Ellis Burks in 11 of 13 categories.
Did Ellis Burks or Vladimir Guerrero hit more home runs?
Vladimir Guerrero, with 449 to Ellis Burks's 352.
Who had the higher OPS?
Vladimir Guerrero, with .931 to Ellis Burks's .874.
Who had the higher batting average?
Vladimir Guerrero, with .318 to Ellis Burks's .291.
Who had more hits?
Vladimir Guerrero, with 2,590 to Ellis Burks's 2,107.

See These Players in Another Era