Ellis Burks vs Larry Walker: Career Stats Comparison

Ellis Burks (1987–2004) and Larry Walker (1989–2005) — both broke in during the 1980s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Ellis Burks finished with 2,107 hits and 352 home runs; Larry Walker finished with 2,160 hits and 383 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 →

Larry Walker

Hitter · 1989–2005
Games
1,988
Hits
2,160
Home Runs
383
RBI
1,311
Avg
.313
OPS
.965
View Larry Walker's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

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

Statistic Ellis Burks Larry Walker
Games 2,000 1,988
At-Bats 7,232 6,907
Runs 1,253 1,355
Hits 2,107 2,160
Doubles 402 471
Triples 63 62
Home Runs 352 383
RBI 1,206 1,311
Walks 793 913
Strikeouts 1,340 1,231
Stolen Bases 181 230
Batting Avg .291 .313
On-Base % .363 .400
Slugging % .510 .565
OPS .874 .965

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Larry Walker outpaces Ellis Burks 42,378 to 25,806 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,354 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)
Larry Walker
42,378
Career PIV · 2,354 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

Larry Walker — top 3 seasons by OPS

19971.172 OPS49 HR, 130 RBI, .366 avg
19991.168 OPS37 HR, 115 RBI, .379 avg
20011.111 OPS38 HR, 123 RBI, .350 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Larry Walker 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 Larry Walker. PIV agrees: Larry Walker grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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