Ellis Burks vs Rickey Henderson: Career Stats Comparison
Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Rickey Henderson (1979–2003) — they broke in during the 1980s and the 1970s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs; Rickey Henderson finished with 3,055 hits and 297 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Ellis Burks
Rickey Henderson
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ellis Burks and Rickey Henderson. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Ellis Burks | Rickey Henderson |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,000 | 3,081 |
| At-Bats | 7,232 | 10,961 |
| Runs | 1,253 | 2,295 |
| Hits | 2,107 | 3,055 |
| Doubles | 402 | 510 |
| Triples | 63 | 66 |
| Home Runs | 352 | 297 |
| RBI | 1,206 | 1,115 |
| Walks | 793 | 2,190 |
| Strikeouts | 1,340 | 1,694 |
| Stolen Bases | 181 | 1,406 |
| Batting Avg | .291 | .279 |
| On-Base % | .363 | .401 |
| Slugging % | .510 | .419 |
| OPS | .874 | .820 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Rickey Henderson outpaces Ellis Burks 37,642 to 25,806 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,298 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
Rickey Henderson — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Rickey Henderson leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and OBP, while Ellis Burks owns home runs, RBI, and batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Rickey Henderson. PIV agrees: Rickey Henderson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.