Ellis Burks
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-2004)
Ellis Burks was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2004 for 5 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 18 seasons. In 2,000 career games, he hit .291 with 2,107 hits, 352 home runs, and 1,206 RBI. Ellis Burks was a 2-time All-Star, a Gold Glove, and a 2-time Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 25,806.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1987-04-30
- Last Game
- 2004-10-02
- Awards
- 2× All-Star · Gold Glove · 2× Silver Slugger
Full name: Ellis Rena Burks
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 7,232 | 1,253 | 2,107 | 402 | 63 | 352 | 1,206 | 181 | 793 | 1,340 | .291 | .363 | .510 | .874 | 25,806 |
Career AVG .291 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.
Career OBP .363 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.
Career SLG .510 vs. league average .411 across their career seasons — +24.0% above league average.
Career OPS .874 vs. league average .744 across their career seasons — +17.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | BOS | AL | 133 | 558 | 94 | 152 | 30 | 2 | 20 | 59 | 27 | 41 | 98 | .272 | .262 (+4%) | .331 (-2%) | .415 (+6%) | .746 (+2%) | 215.4 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | 144 | 540 | 93 | 159 | 37 | 5 | 18 | 92 | 25 | 62 | 89 | .294 | .254 (+16%) | .317 (+15%) | .377 (+27%) | .695 (+22%) | 2309.8 |
| 1989 | BOS | AL | 97 | 399 | 73 | 121 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 61 | 21 | 36 | 52 | .303 | .254 (+19%) | .319 (+14%) | .375 (+26%) | .694 (+20%) | 1447.3 |
| 1990 | BOS | AL | 152 | 588 | 89 | 174 | 33 | 8 | 21 | 89 | 9 | 48 | 82 | .296 | .257 (+15%) | .324 (+8%) | .385 (+26%) | .710 (+18%) | 1937.8 |
| 1991 | BOS | AL | 130 | 474 | 56 | 119 | 33 | 3 | 14 | 56 | 6 | 39 | 81 | .251 | .255 (-2%) | .323 (-3%) | .384 (+10%) | .708 (+4%) | 269.1 |
| 1992 | BOS | AL | 66 | 235 | 35 | 60 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 5 | 25 | 48 | .255 | .255 (avg) | .322 (+1%) | .377 (+11%) | .699 (+6%) | 244.1 |
| 1993 | CHA | AL | 146 | 499 | 75 | 137 | 24 | 4 | 17 | 74 | 6 | 60 | 97 | .275 | .265 (+4%) | .332 (+6%) | .403 (+9%) | .735 (+8%) | 812.6 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | 42 | 149 | 33 | 48 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 3 | 16 | 39 | .322 | .269 (+19%) | .338 (+15%) | .424 (+60%) | .763 (+40%) | 1020.2 |
| 1995 | COL | NL | 103 | 278 | 41 | 74 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 49 | 7 | 39 | 72 | .266 | .266 (avg) | .337 (+6%) | .417 (+19%) | .755 (+13%) | 736.9 |
| 1996 | COL | NL | 156 | 613 | 142 | 211 | 45 | 8 | 40 | 128 | 32 | 61 | 114 | .344 | .269 (+28%) | .340 (+20%) | .426 (+50%) | .767 (+36%) | 4744.0 |
| 1997 | COL | NL | 119 | 424 | 91 | 123 | 19 | 2 | 32 | 82 | 7 | 47 | 75 | .290 | .266 (+9%) | .336 (+8%) | .419 (+36%) | .756 (+24%) | 1974.2 |
| 1998 | COL | NL | 100 | 357 | 54 | 102 | 22 | 5 | 16 | 54 | 3 | 39 | 80 | .286 | .266 (+7%) | .335 (+6%) | .420 (+21%) | .755 (+14%) | 937.8 |
| 1998 | SFN | NL | 42 | 147 | 22 | 45 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 8 | 19 | 31 | .306 | .266 (+15%) | .335 (+16%) | .420 (+10%) | .755 (+13%) | 937.8 |
| 1999 | SFN | NL | 120 | 390 | 73 | 110 | 19 | 0 | 31 | 96 | 7 | 69 | 86 | .282 | .271 (+4%) | .344 (+14%) | .433 (+31%) | .778 (+24%) | 2060.2 |
| 2000 | SFN | NL | 122 | 393 | 74 | 135 | 21 | 5 | 24 | 96 | 5 | 56 | 49 | .344 | .270 (+27%) | .344 (+22%) | .437 (+39%) | .782 (+31%) | 2573.7 |
| 2001 | CLE | AL | 124 | 439 | 83 | 123 | 29 | 1 | 28 | 74 | 5 | 62 | 85 | .280 | .263 (+6%) | .332 (+11%) | .426 (+27%) | .758 (+20%) | 1795.5 |
| 2002 | CLE | AL | 138 | 518 | 92 | 156 | 28 | 0 | 32 | 91 | 2 | 44 | 108 | .301 | .261 (+15%) | .331 (+9%) | .416 (+30%) | .747 (+21%) | 2179.5 |
| 2003 | CLE | AL | 55 | 198 | 27 | 52 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 1 | 27 | 46 | .263 | .264 (-1%) | .332 (+8%) | .422 (-1%) | .754 (+3%) | 186.5 |
| 2004 | BOS | AL | 11 | 33 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 19 seasons | 2,000 | 7,232 | 1,253 | 2,107 | 402 | 63 | 352 | 1,206 | 181 | 793 | 1,340 | .291 | — | — | — | — | 26,383 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 93 | 14 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 15 | .280 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | ALDS1 | CLE | 5 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .316 |
| 2000 | NLDS2 | SFN | 4 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | .231 |
| 1995 | NLDS1 | COL | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| 1993 | ALCS | CHA | 6 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | .304 |
| 1990 | ALCS | BOS | 4 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .267 |
| 1988 | ALCS | BOS | 4 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .235 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1999 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 993 | 3558 | 680 | 1083 | 183 | 647 | .304 |
| Away | 1006 | 3674 | 573 | 1024 | 169 | 559 | .279 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-10-02 | BOS | BAL | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004-09-23 | BOS | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004-04-24 | BOS | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004-04-23 | BOS | NYY | W | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2004-04-21 | BOS | TOR | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004-04-18 | BOS | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004-04-16 | BOS | NYY | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2004-04-09 | BOS | TOR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2004-04-08 | BOS | BAL | L | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2004-04-06 | BOS | BAL | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | BOS | OF | 132 | 128 | 320 | 15 | 4 | 2 |
| 1988 | BOS | OF | 142 | 139 | 370 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 1989 | BOS | OF | 95 | 96 | 245 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| 1990 | BOS | OF | 143 | 143 | 324 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991 | BOS | OF | 126 | 123 | 283 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1992 | BOS | OF | 63 | 62 | 120 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | CHA | OF | 146 | 133 | 313 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 1994 | COL | OF | 39 | 38 | 79 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1995 | COL | OF | 80 | 67 | 158 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 1996 | COL | OF | 152 | 149 | 279 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| 1997 | COL | OF | 112 | 106 | 207 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 1998 | COL | OF | 98 | 93 | 187 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 1998 | SFN | OF | 41 | 41 | 89 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | SFN | OF | 107 | 106 | 210 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000 | SFN | OF | 108 | 108 | 215 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 2001 | CLE | OF | 20 | 19 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | CLE | OF | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | CLE | OF | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 289 |
| Center Field | 1061 |
| Right Field | 360 |
| Designated Hitter | 307 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Outstanding DH Award | |
| 2001 | Player of the Week | Week of 2001-06-23 |
| 1997 | Player of the Week | Week of 1997-05-24 |
| 1996 | Player of the Week | Week of 1996-05-18 |
| 1996 | Player of the Week | Week of 1996-06-22 |
| 1996 | Player of the Week | Week of 1996-09-14 |
| 1996 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1996 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1994 | Player of the Month | April |
| 1990 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1990 | Player of the Week | Week of 1990-09-01 |
| 1990 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1990 | TSN All-Star | OF |
Salary History
Ellis Burks's recorded salaries total $55,962,500 over 18 seasons, 1987 to 2004. Burks's career, 1987 to 2004, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | BOS | AL | $750,000 |
| 2003 | CLE | AL | $7,166,667 |
| 2002 | CLE | AL | $6,666,667 |
| 2001 | CLE | AL | $5,666,667 |
| 2000 | SFN | NL | $5,500,000 |
| 1999 | SFN | NL | $4,500,000 |
| 1998 | COL | NL | $4,900,000 |
| 1997 | COL | NL | $4,000,000 |
| 1996 | COL | NL | $4,033,333 |
| 1995 | COL | NL | $3,333,333 |
| 1994 | COL | NL | $2,333,333 |
| 1993 | CHA | AL | $2,050,000 |
| 1992 | BOS | AL | $2,300,000 |
| 1991 | BOS | AL | $1,825,000 |
| 1990 | BOS | AL | $475,000 |
| 1989 | BOS | AL | $275,000 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | $125,000 |
| 1987 | BOS | AL | $62,500 |
| Total recorded salary | $55,962,500 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Junior College | Paris | TX | 1983 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 15th | 6.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 1996 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 186.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 13th | 25.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ellis Burks (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Ellis Burks
Ellis Burks: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 30, 1987 and the final game on October 2, 2004, Ellis Burks built the record summarized on this page. Burks played for the Boston Red Sox (1987 through 2004), the Chicago White Sox (1993), the Colorado Rockies (1994 through 1998), the San Francisco Giants (1998 to 2000), and the Cleveland Indians (2001 to 2003). The bio lists Burks as an outfielder who both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. Burks was born on September 11, 1964, in Vicksburg, MS, USA. Ellis Burks was the playing name; the full given name is Ellis Rena.
The batting record for Burks: 2,000 games, 2,107 hits in 7,232 at bats, and a .291 average; the totals also include 352 home runs, 1,206 runs batted in, and 181 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .363 and the slugging percentage .510, for an OPS of .874. Over the seasons Burks played, league hitters batted .264; the .291 career figure is 10.5% above that.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ellis Burks
- What years did Ellis Burks play?
- Ellis Burks played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2004.
- Was Ellis Burks a pitcher?
- No. Ellis Burks was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Ellis Burks hit?
- Ellis Burks hit 352 career home runs with 2,107 hits.
- What teams did Ellis Burks play for?
- Ellis Burks played for 5 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1987–1992, 2004), the Chicago White Sox (1993), the Colorado Rockies (1994–1998), the San Francisco Giants (1998–2000), and the Cleveland Indians (2001–2003).
- Did Ellis Burks win an MVP award?
- No. Ellis Burks did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Ellis Burks win?
- Ellis Burks won the Gold Glove (1990) and 2 Silver Slugger awards (1990 and 1996). He was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Ellis Burks's career stats?
- In 2,000 games, Ellis Burks had 2,107 hits, 352 home runs, 1,206 RBI, 1,253 runs, and 181 stolen bases, with a .291 batting average.
- How much did Ellis Burks earn in his career?
- Ellis Burks's recorded salaries total $55,962,500 over 18 seasons, 1987 to 2004. Burks's career, 1987 to 2004, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
- What was Ellis Burks's salary?
- Ellis Burks's last recorded salary was $750,000, in 2004. His highest recorded salary was $7,166,667, in 2003, and his lowest was $62,500, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1987 to 2004.
- What position did Ellis Burks play?
- Ellis Burks played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ellis Burks and how much did he weigh?
- Ellis Burks was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 175 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ellis Burks hit each season?
- Ellis Burks's home runs by season: 20 in 1987, 18 in 1988, 12 in 1989, 21 in 1990, 14 in 1991, 8 in 1992, 17 in 1993, 13 in 1994, 14 in 1995, 40 in 1996, 32 in 1997, 21 in 1998, 31 in 1999, 24 in 2000, 28 in 2001, 32 in 2002, 6 in 2003, and 1 in 2004. His most in one season was 40, in 1996.
- What was Ellis Burks's career batting average?
- Ellis Burks batted .291 over his career, with 2,107 hits in 7,232 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ellis Burks have?
- Ellis Burks drove in 1,206 runs in his career.