Collectibles NJ said...
Looked up his stats on Wikipedia and this is what I found:Career stats: .297 lifetime average, 3,007 hits, 399 homers.
Teams: Detroit Tigers 1953-1974.
Career highlights: 15x All-Star (1955-67, 1971, 1974), 1968 World Series champ, 10x gold glove winner (1957-59, 1961-67), 1973 Roberto Clemente Award (sportsmanship, community team player), 1968 Lou Gehrig Award (character and integrity), 1969 Hutch Award (competitiveness).
Not bad for a guy who you rarely hear mentioned as one of the game's greatest.
What would we be saying of Kaline if he were a Yankee or Dodger?
3 comments:
agreed that Kaline does not always get the respect he deserves. i remember the very end of his career, and he remains my all time favorite baseball player for both his on-field achievements and his class and good sportsmanship. To many of the Detroit faithful, Al will always be "Mr. Tiger" just as Gordie Howe is "Mr. Red Wing."
he was one of the best outfielders to ever play, and probably the best in the American league during his era. Clemente and Kaline had a lot of similarities as players
Kaline was a great player and a great clutch hitter. But Roger Maris was every bit as good as an outfielder. He robbed Kaline, Norm Cash and Charlie Maxwell of many hits in Yankee Stadium and Detroit.
Maris' skills an an outfielder are largely forgotten as a result of the homerun record.
Minnie Minoso is another almost forgotten truly great player.
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