Roberto Clemente earned his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame with an outstanding career as a hitter: 3,000 career hits and a .317 batting average over 18 seasons, with 4 National League batting championships. A 12-time All-Star, Clemente was arguably the best right fielder of the 1960s, with little room for real argument.
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| Roberto Clemente |
A more meaningful discussion might be whether Clemente was in fact the best right fielder of all time. He might have been.
Clemente made his major league debut in 1955 with the only team he would ever play for at the major league level, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Originally signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers, Clemente spent only one season in the Dodgers' farm system before being acquired by the Pirates. He batted .255 as a rookie and then, in his first full season in 1956, batted .311. He batted .300 or better 13 times in his career, and hit for that average every year in the 1960s except 1968, when he “slumped” to .291. His highest batting average came in 1967, when he hit .367. He led the league in hits twice and in triples in 1969.
His play in right field was just as consistently dazzling as his work in the batter’s box.
Spectacular plays were commonplace for Clemente, who won the Gold Glove every year from 1961 until 1972, 12 times altogether. He had a powerful throwing arm that let him reach any base with laser accuracy. As a right fielder, Clemente led the league in putouts 3 times and in assists 6 times. His career 256 assists in right field are the most in major league history. Twice he led all National league outfielders in double plays.
Clemente was voted Most Valuable Player in 1966.
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