Miami Marlins Ichiro Suzuki Keeps Moving Up Hit Chart

Al Kaline (3007 hits, 29th all-time): I’ll come clean here. Never heard of the player, was dimly aware that the Tigers had a guy do their broadcasts forever and ever, but then remembered I was thinking of Ernie Harwell.  So, nope, nothin.

But it turns out Al Kaline was actually flippin amazing. The guy made it to a staggering fifteen All-Star Games. FIFTEEN. Sure, one of them was a throw in for being a living legend that played for a terrible 1974 team that had to send someone. But those other fourteen? Totes legit. Only nine players have been voted to more: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Cal Ripken Jr., Rod Carew, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Pete Rose, and Mickey Mantle. That’s the company he keeps.

Beating Ichiro out for ASG appearances, he matches him Gold Glove for Gold Glove with ten. And considering that the award didn’t exist until his third All-Star caliber season, it seems reasonable to conclude he would have pulled the award down in at least one of those two seasons had it been possible to do so. Along with the hits, he brought massive power to the table, finishing a dinger shy of the 400 HR club.

As a final bonus, he actually won the Roberto Clemente Award.

Ichiro falls short of Kaline as well, though I reserve the right to change that if he keeps the career average above .300; Al dropped to .297 on account of his final two seasons.