Al Kaline, baseball player, 399 home runs, 1953-1974

Al Kaline

⭐ Hall of Fame 1980

Born: 12/19/1934 in Baltimore, MD, USA

Died: 4/6/2020 in Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1953-06-25 | Final Game: 1974-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Albert William Kaline

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Al Kaline, born in 1934, was a distinguished position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1953 to 1974. He was a stalwart for the Detroit Tigers, where he played a remarkable 2,834 games and recorded 3,007 hits, showcasing a batting average of .297. Known for his offensive prowess, Kaline belted 399 home runs and amassed 1,583 RBIs, solidifying his reputation as one of the premier hitters of his era. His ability to combine power with finesse was exemplified by his 137 stolen bases, demonstrating his versatility on the field. Kaline's contributions to the game were recognized through his 18 All-Star selections and his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. He played during a transformative era in baseball, marked by the integration of the sport and the emergence of new playing styles. Kaline's consistent performance and sportsmanship made him a beloved figure in Detroit and an influential role model for future generations of players. His legacy continues to resonate within the baseball community, as he remains a symbol of excellence and dedication to the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2834 10116 1622 3007 498 75 399 1583 137 1277 1020 0.297 0.376 0.480 0.855 44859.1

Career AVG .297 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +17.8% above league average.

Career OBP .376 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +17.4% above league average.

Career SLG .480 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — +26.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.855 vs. league average 0.698 across their career seasons — +22.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1953 DET AL 30 28 9 7 0 0 1 2 1 1 5 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1954 DET AL 138 504 42 139 18 3 4 43 9 22 45 0.276 .261 (+6%) .333 (-8%) .390 (-11%) .723 (-10%) -1075.5
1955 DET AL 152 588 121 200 24 8 27 102 6 82 57 0.340 .258 (+32%) .332 (+27%) .393 (+39%) .726 (+33%) 4238.5
1956 DET AL 153 617 96 194 32 10 27 128 7 70 55 0.314 .258 (+22%) .331 (+16%) .397 (+33%) .728 (+25%) 3189.3
1957 DET AL 149 577 83 170 29 4 23 90 11 43 38 0.295 .257 (+14%) .323 (+6%) .391 (+22%) .715 (+15%) 1587.2
1958 DET AL 146 543 84 170 34 7 16 85 7 54 47 0.313 .257 (+21%) .324 (+15%) .394 (+24%) .719 (+20%) 2189.6
1959 DET AL 136 511 86 167 19 2 27 94 10 72 42 0.327 .256 (+27%) .323 (+27%) .392 (+35%) .715 (+31%) 3405.9
1960 DET AL 147 551 77 153 29 4 15 68 19 65 47 0.278 .255 (+9%) .323 (+9%) .387 (+10%) .711 (+10%) 1147.5
1961 DET AL 153 586 116 190 41 7 19 82 14 66 42 0.324 .258 (+26%) .328 (+20%) .399 (+29%) .727 (+25%) 3027.5
1962 DET AL 100 398 78 121 16 6 29 94 4 47 39 0.304 .257 (+18%) .326 (+15%) .393 (+51%) .719 (+35%) 2500.8
1963 DET AL 145 551 89 172 24 3 27 101 6 54 48 0.312 .246 (+27%) .308 (+21%) .371 (+38%) .680 (+31%) 3239.8
1964 DET AL 146 525 77 154 31 5 17 68 4 75 51 0.293 .250 (+17%) .312 (+22%) .377 (+24%) .690 (+23%) 2578.6
1965 DET AL 125 399 72 112 18 2 18 72 6 72 49 0.281 .245 (+14%) .310 (+25%) .371 (+27%) .682 (+26%) 2171.4
1966 DET AL 142 479 85 138 29 1 29 88 5 81 66 0.288 .248 (+16%) .309 (+27%) .376 (+42%) .685 (+35%) 3466.7
1967 DET AL 131 458 94 141 28 2 25 78 8 83 47 0.308 .242 (+27%) .306 (+34%) .357 (+52%) .663 (+43%) 3910.9
1968 DET AL 102 327 49 94 14 1 10 53 6 55 39 0.287 .236 (+21%) .298 (+31%) .340 (+26%) .638 (+28%) 1827.9
1969 DET AL 131 456 74 124 17 0 21 69 1 54 61 0.272 .248 (+10%) .320 (+8%) .369 (+21%) .689 (+15%) 1280.6
1970 DET AL 131 467 64 130 24 4 16 71 2 77 49 0.278 .253 (+10%) .325 (+16%) .385 (+17%) .711 (+16%) 1617.6
1971 DET AL 133 405 69 119 19 2 15 54 4 82 57 0.294 .249 (+18%) .316 (+31%) .365 (+26%) .682 (+29%) 2613.0
1972 DET AL 106 278 46 87 11 2 10 32 1 28 33 0.313 .243 (+28%) .310 (+20%) .353 (+34%) .664 (+28%) 1351.6
1973 DET AL 91 310 40 79 13 0 10 45 4 29 28 0.255 .256 (-1%) .325 (-2%) .378 (+4%) .703 (+1%) 45.2
1974 DET AL 147 558 71 146 28 2 13 64 2 65 75 0.262 .256 (+2%) .324 (+4%) .369 (+5%) .693 (+5%) 544.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
12 48 9 16 2 0 3 9 2 9 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1972 ALCS DET 5 19 3 5 0 0 1 1 2 2 0.263
1968 WS DET 7 29 6 11 2 0 2 8 0 7 0.379

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 135 110 900 63 9 97
3B 2 1 3 2 0 0
OF 2488 2371 5035 170 73 29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1953 DET OF 20 0 11 1 0 0
1954 DET OF 135 133 283 16 9 0
1955 DET OF 152 151 306 14 7 4
1956 DET OF 153 153 343 18 6 4
1957 DET OF 145 143 319 13 5 2
1958 DET OF 145 143 316 23 2 4
1959 DET OF 136 136 364 4 4 0
1960 DET OF 142 142 367 5 5 1
1961 DET 3B 1 1 1 1 0 0
1961 DET OF 147 147 378 9 4 3
1962 DET OF 100 100 225 8 4 1
1963 DET OF 140 140 257 5 2 0
1964 DET OF 136 136 278 6 3 2
1965 DET 3B 1 0 2 1 0 0
1965 DET OF 112 111 193 2 3 0
1966 DET OF 136 136 279 7 2 1
1967 DET OF 130 127 217 14 4 2
1968 DET 1B 22 18 152 13 4 15
1968 DET OF 74 68 131 1 3 0
1969 DET 1B 9 9 65 2 0 3
1969 DET OF 118 109 192 9 7 4
1970 DET 1B 52 48 374 31 4 39
1970 DET OF 91 75 156 3 2 1
1971 DET 1B 5 2 27 1 0 3
1971 DET OF 129 105 207 6 0 0
1972 DET 1B 11 4 37 4 0 5
1972 DET OF 84 64 111 5 1 0
1973 DET 1B 36 29 245 12 1 32
1973 DET OF 63 52 102 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 135
Third Base 2
Left Field 17
Center Field 489
Right Field 2031
Designated Hitter 146

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1974 Player of the Month September
1973 Roberto Clemente Award
1969 Hutch Award
1968 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1967 Gold Glove OF
1967 TSN All-Star OF
1966 Gold Glove OF
1966 TSN All-Star OF
1965 Gold Glove OF
1964 Gold Glove OF
1963 Gold Glove OF
1963 TSN All-Star OF
1963 TSN Player of the Year
1962 Gold Glove OF
1962 TSN All-Star OF
1961 Gold Glove OF
1959 Gold Glove CF
1958 Gold Glove RF
1957 Gold Glove RF
1955 TSN All-Star OF
1955 TSN Player of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#26
Top 30 Outfielders in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 26 of 30
→

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1972 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 4.0 336 0
1967 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 88.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 66.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 9.0 280 0
1964 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 17.0 280 0
1963 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 148.0 280 1
1962 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 58.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 35.0 280 0
1959 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 84.0 336 0
1958 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 5.0 336 0
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 40.0 336 0
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 142.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 201.0 336 4
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 4.0 336 0
1954 Rookie of the Year AL 3rd 1.0 24 1