Quote:
Originally Posted by Shemp
Here are the top 5 WAR's for Kaline:
1961 - 8.5
1955 - 8.4
1967 - 7.5
1956 - 5.5
1958 - 5.5
Kaline's best 5 year period was 1955 to 1959 with total WAR of 32.6.
Kaline had 3 seasons with a WAR above 7.0.
Here are the top 5 WAR's for Clemente:
1967 - 9.0
1966 - 8.2
1968 - 8.2
1969 - 7.5
1971 - 7.5
Clemente's best 5 year period was 1965 to 1969 with total WAR of 40.0.
Clemente had 7 seasons with a WAR above 7.0.
So for me the question is "which player at their peak gives my team the best chance of winning?". Clemente looks to be that guy. Is he overrated? No. He's a notch below Aaron but above contemporaries like Frank Robinson or Johnny Callison.
Kaline may not have had as many high WAR years but was a very steady and reliable player for a long time. Is he overrated? No. Was he better than Frank Robinson? No. Was he better than Johnny Callison? Yes.
Full disclosure: as a kid in the 1960's my favorite player was Clemente.
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Wait, you're taking Clemente over Frank Robinson? Sign me up for that trade, I'll even toss in Milt Pappas.