Bill Freehan vs Al Kaline: Career Stats Comparison

Bill Freehan (1961–1976) and Al Kaline (1953–1974) — they broke in during the 1960s and the 1950s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Bill Freehan finished with 1,591 hits and 200 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.

Bill Freehan

Hitter · 1961–1976
Games
1,774
Hits
1,591
Home Runs
200
RBI
758
Avg
.262
OPS
.752
View Bill Freehan's full profile →

Al Kaline

Hitter · 1953–1974
Games
2,834
Hits
3,007
Home Runs
399
RBI
1,583
Avg
.297
OPS
.855
View Al Kaline's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Bill Freehan 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 Bill Freehan Al Kaline
Games 1,774 2,834
At-Bats 6,073 10,116
Runs 706 1,622
Hits 1,591 3,007
Doubles 241 498
Triples 35 75
Home Runs 200 399
RBI 758 1,583
Walks 626 1,277
Strikeouts 753 1,020
Stolen Bases 24 137
Batting Avg .262 .297
On-Base % .340 .376
Slugging % .412 .480
OPS .752 .855

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Kaline outpaces Bill Freehan 45,087 to 12,940 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,049 vs 863 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Bill Freehan
12,940
Career PIV · 863 per season (15 seasons)
Al Kaline
45,087
Career PIV · 2,049 per season (22 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Bill Freehan — top 3 seasons by OPS

1974.840 OPS18 HR, 60 RBI, .297 avg
1967.835 OPS20 HR, 74 RBI, .282 avg
1968.819 OPS25 HR, 84 RBI, .263 avg

Al Kaline — top 3 seasons by OPS

1962.969 OPS29 HR, 94 RBI, .304 avg
1955.967 OPS27 HR, 102 RBI, .340 avg
1967.952 OPS25 HR, 78 RBI, .308 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Al Kaline leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Bill Freehan owns no headline categories. 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.

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