Old School Showdown: Rusty Staub Meets Al Kaline

June 17, 2026August 4, 2024 by Jake Cain

Last Updated: June 17, 2026

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Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Jake Cain

Baseball fans often find themselves debating the greats of the game, and today we take a closer look at two legends: Rusty Staub and Al Kaline. Both players racked up awards, accolades and records throughout their illustrious careers. So join us on a trip down memory lane as we see how these two all-time greats stack up against each other.

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Rusty Staub vs Al Kaline — via Stathead

Early Career: Foundations of Greatness

Rusty Staub

Rusty Staub, born Daniel Joseph Staub on April 1, 1944, in New Orleans, Louisiana, began his MLB journey with the Houston Colt .45s in 1963. At just 19 years old, Staub quickly showcased his talents, leading to a career that spanned an impressive 23 seasons. Known for his fiery red hair, Staub earned the nickname “Le Grand Orange” during his time with the Montreal Expos.

Staub’s early years with the Colt .45s saw gradual improvements in his batting. By 1967, he led the league in doubles, earning his first All-Star selection. His trade to the Montreal Expos in 1969 marked the beginning of a period where he truly shined, becoming the team’s first star and a fan favorite.

Al Kaline

Al Kaline, born on December 19, 1934, in Baltimore, Maryland, joined the Detroit Tigers directly out of high school in 1953 as a “bonus baby.” This rule required teams to keep such players on the major league roster for two years. Kaline quickly made an impact, and by 1955, at age 20, he won the American League batting title with a .340 average, becoming the youngest player to accomplish this feat.

Kaline’s early career was marked by his exceptional all-around abilities. He was not only a potent hitter but also an outstanding defensive right fielder, winning his first of ten Gold Glove Awards in 1957. His consistency and prowess in both offense and defense set the stage for a legendary career with the Tigers.

Statistics: The Numbers Game

Rusty Staub’s Career Stats

Batting Average: .279
Hits: 2,716
Home Runs: 292
RBIs: 1,466
On-Base Percentage: .362

Staub’s career numbers reflect his consistency and longevity. With close to 3,000 hits, he demonstrated a remarkable ability to get on base, evidenced by his .362 on-base percentage. His versatility allowed him to excel as a right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman.

Al Kaline’s Career Stats

Batting Average: .297
Hits: 3,007
Home Runs: 399
RBIs: 1,583
On-Base Percentage: .376

Kaline’s career statistics are outstanding, reflecting his prowess at the plate and his ability to drive in runs. Achieving over 3,000 hits and nearing 400 home runs, Kaline’s career batting average of .297 underscores his consistent excellence over 22 seasons.

Awards and Accolades

Rusty Staub’s Honors

6× All-Star (1967–1971, 1976)
Montreal Expos No. 10 retired
New York Mets Hall of Fame
Member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (Inducted in 2012)

Staub’s All-Star selections during his prime years highlight his status as one of the top players in the league. His number 10 jersey was retired by the Expos, a testament to his impact on the franchise despite playing only three full seasons with them.

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1963	19	HOU	NL	150	585	513	43	115	17	4	6	45	0	0	59	58	.224	.309	.308	.617	84	158	10	5	6	2	8	*39/H
1964	20	HOU	NL	89	320	292	26	63	10	2	8	35	1	1	21	31	.216	.272	.346	.618	78	101	6	3	0	4	4	39/H8
1965	21	HOU	NL	131	470	410	43	105	20	1	14	63	3	0	52	57	.256	.339	.412	.751	119	169	17	2	1	5	5	*9H/837
1966	22	HOU	NL	153	628	554	60	155	28	3	13	81	2	1	58	61	.280	.345	.412	.756	116	228	13	1	7	8	13	*97/H38	MVP-22
1967	23	HOU	NL	149	621	546	71	182	44	1	10	74	0	4	60	47	.333	.398	.473	.871	153	258	15	3	6	6	21	*9/H	AS,MVP-16
1968	24	HOU	NL	161	682	591	54	172	37	1	6	72	2	0	73	57	.291	.373	.387	.761	132	229	11	7	7	4	24	*39	AS
1969	25	MON	NL	158	673	549	89	166	26	5	29	79	3	4	110	61	.302	.426	.526	.952	166	289	13	9	4	1	11	*9/H	AS,MVP-36
1970	26	MON	NL	160	699	569	98	156	23	7	30	94	12	11	112	93	.274	.394	.497	.891	139	283	7	3	11	4	11	*9/H	AS
1971	27	MON	NL	*162*	690	599	94	186	34	6	19	97	9	5	74	42	.311	.392	.482	.874	148	289	21	9	3	5	13	*9/H	AS,MVP-19
1972	28	NYM	NL	66	278	239	32	70	11	0	9	38	0	1	31	13	.293	.372	.452	.824	137	108	5	2	1	5	7	9/H	MVP-25
1973	29	NYM	NL	152	666	585	77	163	36	1	15	76	1	1	74	52	.279	.361	.421	.781	118	246	16	3	1	3	10	*9/H
1974	30	NYM	NL	151	649	561	65	145	22	2	19	78	2	1	77	39	.258	.347	.406	.754	112	228	21	3	1	7	12	*9/H
1975	31	NYM	NL	155	670	574	93	162	30	4	19	105	2	0	77	55	.282	.371	.448	.818	132	257	18	9	1	9	14	*9/H	MVP-14
1976	32	DET	AL	161	690	589	73	176	28	3	15	96	3	1	83	49	.299	.386	.433	.818	137	255	23	7	0	11	11	*9D	AS
1977	33	DET	AL	158	695	623	84	173	34	3	22	101	1	1	59	47	.278	.336	.448	.784	108	279	27	1	2	10	4	*D/H
1978	34	DET	AL	162	734	642	75	175	30	1	24	121	3	1	76	35	.273	.347	.435	.782	117	279	24	3	2	11	5	*D	MVP-5
1979	35	TOT	MLB	106	389	332	41	81	15	1	12	54	1	0	46	28	.244	.340	.404	.744	100	134	12	5	1	5	4	D3H/9
1979	35	DET	AL	68	288	246	32	58	12	1	9	40	1	0	32	18	.236	.331	.402	.733	95	99	9	5	1	4	1	D/H
1979	35	MON	NL	38	101	86	9	23	3	0	3	14	0	0	14	10	.267	.366	.407	.773	112	35	3	0	0	1	3	3H/9
1980	36	TEX	AL	109	388	340	42	102	23	2	9	55	1	1	39	18	.300	.370	.459	.828	130	156	16	2	1	6	3	D3H9/7
1981	37	NYM	NL	70	186	161	9	51	9	0	5	21	1	0	22	12	.317	.398	.466	.864	147	75	6	1	0	2	3	3H
1982	38	NYM	NL	112	250	219	11	53	9	0	3	27	0	0	24	10	.242	.309	.324	.633	79	71	10	0	1	6	1	H397
1983	39	NYM	NL	104	132	115	5	34	6	0	3	28	0	0	14	10	.296	.371	.426	.797	122	49	4	1	0	2	3	H/379
1984	40	NYM	NL	78	79	72	2	19	4	0	1	18	0	0	4	9	.264	.291	.361	.652	84	26	1	0	0	3	3	H/3
1985	41	NYM	NL	54	55	45	2	12	3	0	1	8	0	0	10	4	.267	.400	.400	.800	126	18	1	0	0	0	3	H/79
23 Yrs				2951	11229	9720	1189	2716	499	47	292	1466	47	33	1255	888	.279	.362	.431	.793	124	4185	297	79	56	119	193
162 Game Avg.				162	616	534	65	149	27	3	16	80	3	2	69	49	.279	.362	.431	.793	124	230	16	4	3	7	11
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
NYM (9 yrs)				942	2965	2571	296	709	130	7	75	399	6	3	333	204	.276	.358	.419	.778	119	1078	82	19	5	37	56
HOU (6 yrs)				833	3306	2906	297	792	156	12	57	370	8	6	323	311	.273	.346	.393	.740	117	1143	72	21	27	29	75
MON (4 yrs)				518	2163	1803	290	531	86	18	81	284	24	20	310	206	.295	.402	.497	.899	149	896	44	21	18	11	38
DET (4 yrs)				549	2407	2100	264	582	104	8	70	358	8	3	250	149	.277	.353	.434	.787	117	912	83	16	5	36	21
TEX (1 yr)				109	388	340	42	102	23	2	9	55	1	1	39	18	.300	.370	.459	.828	130	156	16	2	1	6	3

NL (19 yrs)				2293	8434	7280	883	2032	372	37	213	1053	38	29	966	721	.279	.365	.428	.793	126	3117	198	61	50	77	169
AL (5 yrs)				658	2795	2440	306	684	127	10	79	413	9	4	289	167	.280	.355	.438	.793	119	1068	99	18	6	42	24

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/4/2024.

Al Kaline’s Honors

18× All-Star (1955–1961², 1962²–1967, 1971, 1974)
10× Gold Glove Award (1957–1959, 1961–1967)
World Series Champion (1968)
Roberto Clemente Award (1973)
AL Batting Champion (1955)
Detroit Tigers No. 6 retired
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Inducted in 1980)

Kaline’s extensive list of accolades includes 18 All-Star selections and ten Gold Glove Awards, underscoring his dominance in both offense and defense. His leadership in the 1968 World Series and subsequent Hall of Fame induction solidify his legacy as one of the game’s all-time greats.

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1953	18	DET	AL	30	30	28	9	7	0	0	1	2	1	0	1	5	.250	.300	.357	.657	78	10	1	1	0		0	H8/79
1954	19	DET	AL	138	535	504	43	139	18	3	4	43	9	5	22	45	.276	.305	.347	.652	80	175	21	0	7	2	2	*9/H	MVP-23,RoY-3
1955	20	DET	AL	152	681	588	121	*200*	24	8	27	102	6	8	82	57	*.340*	.421	.546	.967	162	321	13	5	0	6	12	*9	AS,MVP-2
1956	21	DET	AL	153	693	617	96	194	32	10	27	128	7	1	70	55	.314	.383	.530	.913	139	327	10	1	1	4	4	*98/7	AS,MVP-3
1957	22	DET	AL	149	636	577	83	170	29	4	23	90	11	9	43	38	.295	.343	.478	.821	120	276	10	3	6	7	7	*98/7H	AS,MVP-10,GG
1958	23	DET	AL	146	607	543	84	170	34	7	16	85	7	4	54	47	.313	.374	.490	.864	130	266	18	2	3	5	6	*9/8H	AS,MVP-20,GG
1959	24	DET	AL	136	595	511	85	167	19	2	27	94	10	4	72	42	.327	.410	.530	.940	151	271	11	4	2	6	12	*89	AS,AS,MVP-6,GG
1960	25	DET	AL	147	629	551	77	153	29	4	15	68	19	4	65	47	.278	.354	.426	.781	107	235	18	3	5	5	3	*8/H	AS,AS
1961	26	DET	AL	153	665	586	116	190	41	7	19	82	14	1	66	42	.324	.393	.515	.909	139	302	16	4	4	5	2	*98/H57	AS,AS,MVP-9,GG
1962	27	DET	AL	100	452	398	78	121	16	6	29	94	4	0	47	39	.304	.376	.593	.969	152	236	17	1	2	4	3	9	AS,MVP-6,GG
1963	28	DET	AL	145	616	551	89	172	24	3	27	101	6	4	54	48	.312	.375	.514	.889	144	283	12	4	3	4	12	*9/H8	AS,MVP-2,GG
1964	29	DET	AL	146	608	525	77	154	31	5	17	68	4	1	75	51	.293	.383	.469	.851	134	246	12	3	2	3	6	*9H	AS,MVP-14,GG
1965	30	DET	AL	125	474	399	72	112	18	2	18	72	6	0	72	49	.281	.388	.471	.859	143	188	9	0	0	3	11	*89H/5	AS,MVP-16,GG
1966	31	DET	AL	142	572	479	85	138	29	1	29	88	5	5	81	66	.288	.392	.534	.927	161	256	7	5	1	6	7	*89/H	AS,MVP-7,GG
1967	32	DET	AL	131	550	458	94	141	28	2	25	78	8	2	83	47	.308	.411	.541	.952	176	248	16	1	2	6	10	*9/H8	AS,MVP-5,GG
1968	33	DET	AL	102	389	327	49	94	14	1	10	52	6	4	55	39	.287	.392	.428	.820	146	140	4	3	1	3	7	93H/7
1969	34	DET	AL	131	518	456	74	124	17	0	21	69	1	2	54	61	.272	.346	.447	.793	116	204	11	1	0	7	4	*9/3H
1970	35	DET	AL	131	555	467	64	130	24	4	16	71	2	2	77	49	.278	.377	.450	.826	127	210	20	1	3	7	5	93/H
1971	36	DET	AL	133	501	405	69	119	19	2	15	54	4	6	82	57	.294	.416	.462	.878	144	187	12	7	1	6	9	*9H/38	AS
1972	37	DET	AL	106	314	278	46	87	11	2	10	32	1	0	28	33	.313	.374	.475	.849	149	132	11	2	1	5	5	9H3	MVP-24
1973	38	DET	AL	91	347	310	40	79	13	0	10	45	4	1	29	28	.255	.320	.394	.713	96	122	10	3	0	5	4	93H
1974	39	DET	AL	147	630	558	71	146	28	2	13	64	2	2	65	75	.262	.337	.389	.726	107	217	12	1	1	5	2	*D/H	AS
22 Yrs				2834	11597	10116	1622	3007	498	75	399	1582	137	65	1277	1020	.297	.376	.480	.855	134	4852	271	55	45	104	133
162 Game Avg.				162	663	578	93	172	28	4	23	90	8	4	73	58	.297	.376	.480	.855	134	277	15	3	3		8
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/4/2024.

Defensive Prowess

Staub in the Field

Staub was known for his versatility, playing multiple positions proficiently. As a right fielder, he demonstrated a strong arm and reliable glove. Over his career, Staub posted a solid fielding percentage and was known for his ability to make crucial plays in the outfield.

Kaline’s Golden Glove

Kaline’s defensive skills were legendary. His ten Gold Glove Awards highlight his exceptional fielding abilities. Known for his strong and accurate throwing arm, Kaline often deterred base runners from attempting extra bases. His outfield assists were a testament to his defensive acumen.

Impact and Legacy

Staub’s Influence

Staub’s impact extended beyond his on-field performance. Known for his engaging personality and community involvement, Staub founded the Rusty Staub Foundation and the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund. His dedication to charitable causes earned him respect both within and outside the baseball community.

Kaline’s Lasting Legacy

Kaline’s nickname “Mr. Tiger” reflects his deep connection with the Detroit Tigers. His contributions to the team as a player, broadcaster, and special assistant spanned nearly seven decades. Kaline’s influence on the game and his role as a mentor to younger players ensured his legacy endured long after his playing days ended.

Memorable Moments

Staub’s Clutch Performances

Staub had several memorable moments, particularly in the postseason. His performance in the 1973 National League Championship Series with the New York Mets, where he hit three home runs despite playing with a shoulder injury, is legendary. His resilience and clutch hitting were instrumental in the Mets’ success during that series.

Kaline’s World Series Heroics

Kaline’s performance in the 1968 World Series was nothing short of heroic. Despite missing two months of the season due to a broken arm, he returned to lead the Tigers with a .379 batting average, two home runs, and eight RBIs in the series. His contributions were pivotal in securing the championship for Detroit.

Conclusion: Two Giants of the Game

Comparing the careers of Rusty Staub and Al Kaline is like comparing two different vintage masterpieces. Staub’s versatility, longevity, and immense contributions both on and off the field make him a beloved figure in baseball history. Kaline’s exceptional talent, defensive brilliance, and steadfast loyalty to the Detroit Tigers solidify his status as one of the game’s all-time greats.

Both players exemplify the qualities that make baseball such a cherished sport: dedication, skill, and a love for the game that transcends statistics. Whether you admire Staub’s fiery personality and clutch performances or Kaline’s smooth fielding and consistent excellence, both legends have left a lasting impact on baseball that will be remembered for generations to come.