Roberto Clemente
The first Latin American superstar wasn't just a great player — he was baseball royalty who redefined what it meant to play right field. Clemente's .317 career average and 12 Gold Gloves tell only part of the story of a player who combined elite hitting with an arm that became the stuff of legend.
That 1970 campaign at age 36 captures Clemente at his artistic peak: a .352 average with an OPS+ of 135 shows a hitter who refused to decline gracefully. His career OPS+ of 130 sustained over 18 seasons demonstrates remarkable consistency for someone who played through constant back pain and other ailments.
Beyond the numbers, Clemente broke barriers and carried himself with a dignity that transcended baseball. His humanitarian mission to Nicaragua, which cost him his life at 38, led to his immediate Hall of Fame induction in 1973. Modern fans should know him as baseball's first Latino icon — a player whose impact stretched far beyond Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.
Career · Batting
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | PIT | 124 | 474 | 5 | 47 | .255 | .666 | — |
| 1956 | PIT | 147 | 543 | 7 | 60 | .311 | .761 | — |
| 1957 | PIT | 111 | 451 | 4 | 30 | .253 | .637 | — |
| 1958 | PIT | 140 | 519 | 6 | 50 | .289 | .736 | — |
| 1959 | PIT | 105 | 432 | 4 | 50 | .296 | .718 | — |
| 1960 | PIT | 144 | 570 | 16 | 94 | .314 | .815 | — |
| 1961 | PIT | 146 | 572 | 23 | 89 | .351 | .949 | — |
| 1962 | PIT | 144 | 538 | 10 | 74 | .312 | .805 | — |
| 1963 | PIT | 152 | 600 | 17 | 76 | .320 | .826 | — |
| 1964 | PIT | 155 | 622 | 12 | 87 | .339 | .872 | — |
| 1965 | PIT | 152 | 589 | 10 | 65 | .329 | .842 | — |
| 1966 | PIT | 154 | 638 | 29 | 119 | .317 | .896 | — |
| 1967 | PIT | 147 | 585 | 23 | 110 | .357 | .954 | — |
| 1968 | PIT | 132 | 502 | 18 | 57 | .291 | .838 | — |
| 1969 | PIT | 138 | 507 | 19 | 91 | .345 | .955 | — |
| 1970 | PIT | 108 | 412 | 14 | 60 | .352 | .963 | 135 |
| 1971 | PIT | 132 | 522 | 13 | 86 | .341 | .871 | 128 |
| 1972 | PIT | 102 | 378 | 10 | 60 | .312 | .835 | 126 |
| Career | 2433 | 9454 | 240 | 1305 | .317 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.