Al Kaline vs Reggie Smith: Career Stats Comparison
Al Kaline (1953–1974) and Reggie Smith (1966–1982) — they broke in during the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Al Kaline finished with 3,007 hits and 399 home runs; Reggie Smith finished with 2,020 hits and 314 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.
Al Kaline
Reggie Smith
Career Stats Side-by-Side
Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Al Kaline and Reggie Smith. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.
| Statistic | Al Kaline | Reggie Smith |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 2,834 | 1,987 |
| At-Bats | 10,116 | 7,033 |
| Runs | 1,622 | 1,123 |
| Hits | 3,007 | 2,020 |
| Doubles | 498 | 363 |
| Triples | 75 | 57 |
| Home Runs | 399 | 314 |
| RBI | 1,583 | 1,092 |
| Walks | 1,277 | 890 |
| Strikeouts | 1,020 | 1,030 |
| Stolen Bases | 137 | 137 |
| Batting Avg | .297 | .287 |
| On-Base % | .376 | .366 |
| Slugging % | .480 | .489 |
| OPS | .855 | .855 |
PIV Comparison
By PIV (Player Impact Value), Al Kaline outpaces Reggie Smith 45,087 to 32,131 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,049 vs 1,785 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).
Al Kaline — top 3 seasons by OPS
Reggie Smith — top 3 seasons by OPS
Verdict
On the head-to-head card, Al Kaline leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Reggie Smith 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.