The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #72 Al Kaline

Entering the list at #72 is Mr. Tiger Al Kaline. Kaline patrolled right field in Detroit for 22 years, garnering 18 all-star selections and 10 Gold Gloves. He’s one of only 11 players in Major League Baseball history with at least 1,600 runs, 1,500 RBIs, and 3,000 hits. Kaline finished among the top-10 in MVP voting nine times, including two runner-up finishes in 1955 and 1963. While Kaline had his fair share of leading the league it was the number of times he spent among the league leaders that defines his career. He finished in the top-5 in WAR for position players eight times, batting average and on-base % seven times, and slugging % and adjusted ops+ five times. Kaline’s lasting legacy for Detroit was helping bring home the 1968 World Series title after hitting .379 with eight RBIs in a thrilling 7-game series against Bob Gibson and the Cardinals.  

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Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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