Lance Berkman
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1999-2013)
Lance Berkman was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2013 for 4 teams, including the Houston Astros, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,879 career games, he hit .293 with 1,905 hits, 366 home runs, and 1,234 RBI. Lance Berkman was a 6-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 38,575.
- 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- B / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 220 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1999-07-16
- Last Game
- 2013-09-17
- Awards
- 6× All-Star
Full name: William Lance Berkman
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,879 | 6,491 | 1,146 | 1,905 | 422 | 30 | 366 | 1,234 | 86 | 1,201 | 1,300 | .293 | .406 | .537 | .943 | 38,575 |
Career AVG .293 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.
Career OBP .406 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +22.5% above league average.
Career SLG .537 vs. league average .418 across their career seasons — +28.3% above league average.
Career OPS .943 vs. league average .750 across their career seasons — +25.7% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | HOU | NL | 34 | 93 | 10 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 21 | .237 | .271 (-13%) | .344 (-7%) | .433 (-11%) | .778 (-9%) | -139.4 |
| 2000 | HOU | NL | 114 | 353 | 76 | 105 | 28 | 1 | 21 | 67 | 6 | 56 | 73 | .297 | .270 (+10%) | .344 (+13%) | .437 (+28%) | .782 (+21%) | 1559.2 |
| 2001 | HOU | NL | 156 | 577 | 110 | 191 | 55 | 5 | 34 | 126 | 7 | 92 | 121 | .331 | .263 (+25%) | .332 (+30%) | .426 (+45%) | .758 (+38%) | 5002.9 |
| 2002 | HOU | NL | 158 | 578 | 106 | 169 | 35 | 2 | 42 | 128 | 8 | 107 | 118 | .292 | .261 (+12%) | .331 (+22%) | .416 (+39%) | .747 (+31%) | 4131.2 |
| 2003 | HOU | NL | 153 | 538 | 110 | 155 | 35 | 6 | 25 | 93 | 5 | 107 | 108 | .288 | .264 (+9%) | .332 (+24%) | .422 (+22%) | .754 (+23%) | 3032.3 |
| 2004 | HOU | NL | 160 | 544 | 104 | 172 | 40 | 3 | 30 | 106 | 9 | 127 | 101 | .316 | .266 (+19%) | .335 (+34%) | .427 (+32%) | .762 (+33%) | 4559.6 |
| 2005 | HOU | NL | 132 | 468 | 76 | 137 | 34 | 1 | 24 | 82 | 4 | 91 | 72 | .293 | .264 (+11%) | .330 (+24%) | .418 (+25%) | .749 (+25%) | 2700.7 |
| 2006 | HOU | NL | 152 | 536 | 95 | 169 | 29 | 0 | 45 | 136 | 3 | 98 | 106 | .315 | .269 (+17%) | .336 (+25%) | .431 (+44%) | .768 (+35%) | 4339.7 |
| 2007 | HOU | NL | 153 | 561 | 95 | 156 | 24 | 2 | 34 | 102 | 7 | 94 | 125 | .278 | .268 (+4%) | .335 (+15%) | .422 (+21%) | .758 (+18%) | 2430.8 |
| 2008 | HOU | NL | 159 | 554 | 114 | 173 | 46 | 4 | 29 | 106 | 18 | 99 | 108 | .312 | .263 (+18%) | .333 (+26%) | .416 (+36%) | .749 (+32%) | 4021.6 |
| 2009 | HOU | NL | 136 | 460 | 73 | 126 | 31 | 1 | 25 | 80 | 7 | 97 | 98 | .274 | .262 (+4%) | .332 (+20%) | .417 (+22%) | .750 (+21%) | 2267.7 |
| 2010 | HOU | NL | 85 | 298 | 39 | 73 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 49 | 3 | 60 | 70 | .245 | .257 (-5%) | .325 (+14%) | .402 (+8%) | .728 (+11%) | 786.8 |
| 2010 | NYA | AL | 37 | 106 | 9 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 15 | .255 | .257 (-1%) | .325 (+10%) | .402 (-13%) | .728 (-3%) | 786.8 |
| 2011 | SLN | NL | 145 | 488 | 90 | 147 | 23 | 2 | 31 | 94 | 2 | 92 | 93 | .301 | .255 (+18%) | .320 (+29%) | .399 (+37%) | .719 (+33%) | 3620.4 |
| 2012 | SLN | NL | 32 | 81 | 12 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 19 | .259 | .254 (+2%) | .318 (+20%) | .405 (+10%) | .724 (+14%) | 238.7 |
| 2013 | TEX | AL | 73 | 256 | 27 | 62 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 0 | 38 | 52 | .242 | .253 (-4%) | .317 (+7%) | .396 (-9%) | .714 (-2%) | 22.3 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,879 | 6,491 | 1,146 | 1,905 | 422 | 30 | 366 | 1,234 | 86 | 1,201 | 1,300 | .293 | — | — | — | — | 39,361 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 186 | 38 | 59 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 41 | 31 | 41 | .317 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | NLCS | SLN | 6 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .300 |
| 2011 | NLDS1 | SLN | 5 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | .167 |
| 2011 | WS | SLN | 7 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 7 | .423 |
| 2010 | ALCS | NYA | 4 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .250 |
| 2010 | ALDS2 | NYA | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
| 2005 | NLCS | HOU | 6 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | .286 |
| 2005 | NLDS2 | HOU | 4 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | .357 |
| 2005 | WS | HOU | 4 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | .385 |
| 2004 | NLCS | HOU | 7 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 4 | .292 |
| 2004 | NLDS2 | HOU | 5 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | .409 |
| 2001 | NLDS1 | HOU | 3 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .167 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1879 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 946 | 3212 | 564 | 963 | 166 | 599 | .300 |
| Away | 933 | 3279 | 582 | 942 | 200 | 635 | .287 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-09-17 | TEX | TBR | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013-09-16 | TEX | TBR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2013-09-14 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013-09-03 | TEX | OAK | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013-09-02 | TEX | OAK | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013-07-06 | TEX | HOU | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013-07-05 | TEX | HOU | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013-07-04 | TEX | SEA | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013-07-03 | TEX | SEA | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013-06-26 | TEX | NYY | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 765 | 726 | 6218 | 580 | 41 | 617 |
| OF | 997 | 964 | 1681 | 49 | 38 | 9 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | HOU | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1999 | HOU | OF | 27 | 21 | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | HOU | 1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | HOU | OF | 96 | 90 | 173 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2001 | HOU | OF | 155 | 153 | 306 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 2002 | HOU | OF | 156 | 155 | 293 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| 2003 | HOU | OF | 153 | 153 | 254 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 2004 | HOU | 1B | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2004 | HOU | OF | 160 | 158 | 243 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 2005 | HOU | 1B | 96 | 84 | 772 | 49 | 5 | 77 |
| 2005 | HOU | OF | 49 | 45 | 66 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2006 | HOU | 1B | 112 | 105 | 964 | 71 | 6 | 96 |
| 2006 | HOU | OF | 44 | 39 | 61 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2007 | HOU | 1B | 126 | 122 | 1015 | 103 | 10 | 86 |
| 2007 | HOU | OF | 31 | 27 | 49 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2008 | HOU | 1B | 152 | 151 | 1240 | 132 | 5 | 122 |
| 2009 | HOU | 1B | 131 | 131 | 1107 | 116 | 6 | 122 |
| 2010 | HOU | 1B | 85 | 84 | 696 | 72 | 1 | 60 |
| 2010 | NYA | 1B | 8 | 7 | 54 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 2011 | SLN | 1B | 21 | 16 | 154 | 14 | 2 | 18 |
| 2011 | SLN | OF | 126 | 123 | 194 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 2012 | SLN | 1B | 23 | 22 | 170 | 13 | 4 | 22 |
| 2013 | TEX | 1B | 4 | 4 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 765 |
| Left Field | 549 |
| Center Field | 166 |
| Right Field | 373 |
| Designated Hitter | 104 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 2011 | MLB Players Choice Comeback Player | |
| 2011 | Player of the Week | Week of 2011-04-17 |
| 2011 | Player of the Week | Week of 2011-05-01 |
| 2011 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 2008 | Player of the Month | May |
| 2008 | Player of the Week | Week of 2008-05-10 |
| 2008 | Player of the Week | Week of 2008-04-26 |
| 2006 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 2004 | Player of the Month | May |
| 2002 | Player of the Week | Week of 2002-05-04 |
| 2001 | Player of the Week | Week of 2001-06-23 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | TEX | AL | $10,000,000 |
| 2012 | SLN | NL | $12,000,000 |
| 2011 | SLN | NL | $8,000,000 |
| 2010 | HOU | NL | $14,500,000 |
| 2009 | HOU | NL | $14,500,000 |
| 2008 | HOU | NL | $14,500,000 |
| 2007 | HOU | NL | $14,500,000 |
| 2006 | HOU | NL | $14,500,000 |
| 2005 | HOU | NL | $10,500,000 |
| 2004 | HOU | NL | $6,500,000 |
| 2003 | HOU | NL | $3,500,000 |
| 2002 | HOU | NL | $500,000 |
| 2001 | HOU | NL | $305,000 |
| 1999 | HOU | NL | $200,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $124,005,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice University | Houston | TX | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 118.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2008 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 5th | 126.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2006 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 230.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2005 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 14th | 21.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2004 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 100.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2002 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 181.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2001 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 5th | 125.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 2000 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 6th | 1.0 | 160 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lance Berkman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Lance Berkman
See Lance Berkman in Another Era
Frequently Asked Questions about Lance Berkman
- What years did Lance Berkman play?
- Lance Berkman played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2013.
- Was Lance Berkman a pitcher?
- No. Lance Berkman was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Lance Berkman hit?
- Lance Berkman hit 366 career home runs with 1905 hits.
- What was Lance Berkman's career batting average?
- Lance Berkman batted .293 over his career, with 1,905 hits in 6,491 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lance Berkman have?
- Lance Berkman drove in 1,234 runs in his career.
- Is Lance Berkman in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lance Berkman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.