Ellis Burks vs Fred Lynn: Career Stats Comparison

Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Fred Lynn (1974–1990) — 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; Fred Lynn finished with 1,960 hits and 306 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 →

Fred Lynn

Hitter · 1974–1990
Games
1,969
Hits
1,960
Home Runs
306
RBI
1,111
Avg
.283
OPS
.845
View Fred Lynn's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ellis Burks Fred Lynn
Games 2,000 1,969
At-Bats 7,232 6,925
Runs 1,253 1,063
Hits 2,107 1,960
Doubles 402 388
Triples 63 43
Home Runs 352 306
RBI 1,206 1,111
Walks 793 857
Strikeouts 1,340 1,116
Stolen Bases 181 72
Batting Avg .291 .283
On-Base % .363 .360
Slugging % .510 .484
OPS .874 .845

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ellis Burks edges Fred Lynn 25,806 to 25,648 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,358 vs 1,425 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)
Fred Lynn
25,648
Career PIV · 1,425 per season (18 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

Fred Lynn — top 3 seasons by OPS

19791.059 OPS39 HR, 122 RBI, .333 avg
1975.967 OPS21 HR, 105 RBI, .331 avg
1982.891 OPS21 HR, 86 RBI, .299 avg

Verdict

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

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