Ellis Burks vs Tim Raines: Career Stats Comparison

Tim Raines has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 statistical categories compared on this page. Ellis Burks played 1987–2004 as a hitter; Tim Raines played 1979–2002 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 Tim Raines (1979–2002) — 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; Tim Raines finished with 2,605 hits and 170 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Quick answer

  • Who hit more home runs? Ellis Burks, with 352 to Tim Raines's 170.
  • Who had the higher OPS? Ellis Burks, with .874 to Tim Raines's .810.
  • Who had the higher batting average? Tim Raines, with .294 to Ellis Burks's .291.
  • Who had more hits? Tim Raines, with 2,605 to Ellis Burks's 2,107.
  • Who drove in more runs? Ellis Burks, with 1,206 to Tim Raines's 980.
  • Who has the higher career PIV? Ellis Burks, with 25,806 career PIV to Tim Raines's 25,763.
  • Who won more championships? Tim Raines, with 2 World Series titles to Ellis Burks's 1.
Leads Tim Raines 10 of 14 awarded categories
PIV edge Ellis Burks +42
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 →

Tim Raines

Hitter · 1979–2002
Games
2,502
Hits
2,605
Home Runs
170
RBI
980
Avg
.294
OPS
.810
View Tim Raines's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Ellis Burks and Tim Raines. 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 Tim Raines: Career Stats Comparison — Career Stats Side-by-Side
Statistic Ellis Burks Tim Raines
Games 2,000 Leads: 2,502
At-Bats 7,232 Leads: 8,872
Runs 1,253 Leads: 1,571
Hits 2,107 Leads: 2,605
Doubles 402 Leads: 430
Triples 63 Leads: 113
Home Runs Leads: 352 170
RBI Leads: 1,206 980
Walks 793 Leads: 1,330
Strikeouts 1,340 966
Stolen Bases 181 Leads: 808
Batting Avg .291 Leads: .294
On-Base % .363 Leads: .385
Slugging % Leads: .510 .425
OPS Leads: .874 .810

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Ellis Burks edges Tim Raines 25,806 to 25,763 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,358 vs 1,073 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)
Tim Raines
25,763
Career PIV · 1,073 per season (24 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

Tim Raines — top 3 seasons by OPS

1987.955 OPS18 HR, 68 RBI, .330 avg
1986.889 OPS9 HR, 62 RBI, .334 avg
1993.880 OPS16 HR, 54 RBI, .306 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Tim Raines leads in hits, runs, stolen bases, and batting average, while Ellis Burks owns home runs, RBI, and OPS. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Tim Raines. Note that PIV actually grades Ellis Burks ahead, which means Tim Raines's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

Related Matchups

Ellis Burks vs Tim Raines: Frequently Asked Questions

Who was better, Ellis Burks or Tim Raines?
By the career statistics compared on this page, Tim Raines leads Ellis Burks in 10 of 14 categories.
Did Ellis Burks or Tim Raines hit more home runs?
Ellis Burks, with 352 to Tim Raines's 170.
Who had the higher OPS?
Ellis Burks, with .874 to Tim Raines's .810.
Who had the higher batting average?
Tim Raines, with .294 to Ellis Burks's .291.
Who had more hits?
Tim Raines, with 2,605 to Ellis Burks's 2,107.