Bill Freehan vs Al Kaline: Career Stats Comparison
Al Kaline has the better career line of the two, leading 14 of the 14 scored categories on this page (1 further counting total is shown but not scored). Bill Freehan played 1961–1976 as a hitter; Al Kaline played 1953–1974 as a hitter.
- 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
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.
Quick answer
- Who hit more home runs? Al Kaline, with 399 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS? Al Kaline, with .855 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average? Al Kaline, with .297 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits? Al Kaline, with 3,007 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.
- Who drove in more runs? Al Kaline, with 1,583 to Bill Freehan's 758.
- Who has the higher career PIV? Al Kaline, with 45,087 career PIV to Bill Freehan's 12,940.
- Who won more championships? Both — each won 1 World Series title.
Bill Freehan
Al Kaline
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. 14 of the 15 lines below are scored; the other one is a counting total on which fewer is not an achievement, so no one is awarded it. Counting stats reward longevity, and strikeouts are left unmarked because a longer career accumulates more of them. Rate stats are not era-adjusted, and the 1960s and the 1950s were different run environments, so read them against their eras, or use the PIV card below, which is adjusted.
| Statistic | Bill Freehan | Al Kaline |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,774 | Leads: 2,834 |
| At-Bats | 6,073 | Leads: 10,116 |
| Runs | 706 | Leads: 1,622 |
| Hits | 1,591 | Leads: 3,007 |
| Doubles | 241 | Leads: 498 |
| Triples | 35 | Leads: 75 |
| Home Runs | 200 | Leads: 399 |
| RBI | 758 | Leads: 1,583 |
| Walks | 626 | Leads: 1,277 |
| Strikeouts not scored | 753 | 1,020 |
| Stolen Bases | 24 | Leads: 137 |
| Batting Avg | .262 | Leads: .297 |
| On-Base % | .340 | Leads: .376 |
| Slugging % | .412 | Leads: .480 |
| OPS | .752 | Leads: .855 |
PIV Comparison through 2025
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Kaline outpaces Bill Freehan 45,087 to 12,940 — driven by both sides of the ledger: 2,049 PIV per season to 863, across 22 seasons to 15. PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.
PIV is computed through the 2025 season. The career totals on this page include 2026 to date, so PIV does not yet reflect the 2026 season.
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
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 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.
Related Matchups
How the Bill Freehan and Al Kaline careers compare
The careers of Bill Freehan (1961–1976) and Al Kaline (1953–1974) overlapped from 1961 to 1974, so for those seasons they faced the same league conditions. Playing time explains much of the gap in the counting rows: Bill Freehan appeared in 1,774 games to Al Kaline's 2,834. Al Kaline leads every scored row of the table. Plate discipline differs: Bill Freehan struck out more than walked (753 to 626), but Al Kaline walked more often than struck out (1,277 walks, 1,020 strikeouts). Al Kaline was the more frequent base stealer relative to games played. In slugging percentage, Al Kaline holds the edge, .480 to .412.
Bill Freehan vs Al Kaline: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who was better, Bill Freehan or Al Kaline?
- By the career statistics compared on this page, Al Kaline leads Bill Freehan in 14 of the 14 scored categories.
- Did Bill Freehan or Al Kaline hit more home runs?
- Al Kaline, with 399 to Bill Freehan's 200.
- Who had the higher OPS?
- Al Kaline, with .855 to Bill Freehan's .752.
- Who had the higher batting average?
- Al Kaline, with .297 to Bill Freehan's .262.
- Who had more hits?
- Al Kaline, with 3,007 to Bill Freehan's 1,591.