Roberto Clemente vs Al Kaline: Career Stats Comparison
Roberto Clemente (1955–1972) and Al Kaline (1953–1974) — both broke in during the 1950s, which makes the head-to-head feel like a contemporaries' debate. Roberto Clemente finished with 3,000 hits and 240 home runs; Al Kaline finished with 3,007 hits and 399 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Roberto Clemente
Al Kaline
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Roberto Clemente and Al Kaline. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Roberto Clemente | Al Kaline |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,433 | 2,834 |
| At-Bats | 9,454 | 10,116 |
| Runs | 1,416 | 1,622 |
| Hits | 3,000 | 3,007 |
| Doubles | 440 | 498 |
| Triples | 166 | 75 |
| Home Runs | 240 | 399 |
| RBI | 1,305 | 1,583 |
| Walks | 621 | 1,277 |
| Strikeouts | 1,230 | 1,020 |
| Stolen Bases | 83 | 137 |
| Batting Avg | .317 | .297 |
| On-Base % | .359 | .376 |
| Slugging % | .475 | .480 |
| OPS | .834 | .855 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Kaline leads Roberto Clemente 45,087 to 34,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,049 vs 1,896 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
Peak Seasons
The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).
Roberto Clemente — top 3 seasons by OPS
Al Kaline — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Al Kaline leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Roberto Clemente owns batting average. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Al Kaline. PIV agrees: Al Kaline grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.