One point that seems fairly obvious, but I don't know if it has been mentioned is Clemente's longevity.
Kaline played in 4 more seasons than Clemente, but was not a a very productive player after 1967. He never got above a WAR of 3 from 1968 through 1974, from age 33 through 39. In his final year, despite having over 600 plate appearances, Kaline slugged .389 and had a WAR of less than 1.
Clemente on the other hand had many of his best years from age 33 and onward. His average WAR from age 33 thru his last year at age 37 was 6.66.
If he could have just gotten over 4 for the next couple years, he would have ended up with a career war over 100, probably right behind Christy Mathewson with the 29th highest WAR ever.
Yes, Kaline was a more productive player than Clemente before age 25. But if Clemente hadn't passed away in 1972, his career stats could have been a lot stronger.
Last edited by cgjackson222; 09-15-2022 at 03:02 PM.
|
09-15-2022, 02:54 PM
Similar Threads
Threaded Mode