Carlos Lee vs Justin Upton: Career Stats Comparison
Carlos Lee has the better career line of the two, leading 10 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Carlos Lee played 1999–2012 as a hitter; Justin Upton played 2007–2022 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
Carlos Lee (1999–2012) and Justin Upton (2007–2022) — they broke in during the 1990s and the 2000s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Carlos Lee finished with 2,273 hits and 358 home runs; Justin Upton finished with 1,754 hits and 325 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Carlos Lee, with 358 to Justin Upton's 325.
- Who had the higher OPS? Carlos Lee, with .821 to Justin Upton's .812.
- Who had the higher batting average? Carlos Lee, with .285 to Justin Upton's .261.
- Who had more hits? Carlos Lee, with 2,273 to Justin Upton's 1,754.
- Who drove in more runs? Carlos Lee, with 1,363 to Justin Upton's 1,003.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Justin Upton, with 15,786 career PIV to Carlos Lee's 13,870.
Carlos Lee
Justin Upton
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Carlos Lee and Justin Upton. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1990s and the 2000s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Carlos Lee | Justin Upton |
|---|---|---|
| Games | Leads: 2,099 | 1,845 |
| At-Bats | Leads: 7,983 | 6,721 |
| Runs | Leads: 1,125 | 1,058 |
| Hits | Leads: 2,273 | 1,754 |
| Doubles | Leads: 469 | 350 |
| Triples | 19 | Leads: 38 |
| Home Runs | Leads: 358 | 325 |
| RBI | Leads: 1,363 | 1,003 |
| Walks | 655 | Leads: 785 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 984 | 1,971 |
| Stolen Bases | 125 | Leads: 151 |
| Batting Avg | Leads: .285 | .261 |
| On-Base % | .339 | Leads: .342 |
| Slugging % | Leads: .483 | .469 |
| OPS | Leads: .821 | .812 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Justin Upton leads Carlos Lee 15,786 to 13,870 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 929 PIV per season to 867, across 17 seasons to 16. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Carlos Lee — top 3 seasons by OPS
Justin Upton — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Carlos Lee leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Justin Upton owns stolen bases and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Carlos Lee. Note that PIV actually grades Justin Upton ahead, which means Carlos Lee's edge is partly volume. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.
Related Matchups
How the Carlos Lee and Justin Upton careers compare
From 2007 through 2012, Carlos Lee and Justin Upton were in the majors together. The two careers are close in length, 2,099 games for Carlos Lee and 1,845 for Justin Upton across 16 and 17 PIV seasons, so the totals compare on fairly even terms. The green cells for Justin Upton are triples (38 to 19), walks (785 to 655), and stolen bases (151 to 125). Carlos Lee struck out more than walked (984 to 655); Justin Upton struck out more than walked (1,971 to 785). On the bases, Justin Upton stole more often per game played (125 steals in 2,099 games for Carlos Lee, 151 in 1,845 for Justin Upton).
Carlos Lee vs Justin Upton: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Carlos Lee or Justin Upton?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Carlos Lee leads Justin Upton in 10 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Carlos Lee or Justin Upton hit more home runs?
- Carlos Lee, with 358 to Justin Upton's 325.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Carlos Lee, with .821 to Justin Upton's .812.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Carlos Lee, with .285 to Justin Upton's .261.
- Who had more hits?
- Carlos Lee, with 2,273 to Justin Upton's 1,754.