
Right field: Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente needs no introduction here. Whether you are a Pirate fan or not, you know who the legendary right fielder is. Despite his advancing age in 1971, being 36 years young and already having numbers to put him in the Hall, Clemente was still one of the most productive members of the team. In his 553 plate appearances in ‘71, Clemente batted .341/.370/.502 with 13 home runs. His 148 wRC+ ranked 12th in the National League, which tied with an over a decade younger Reggie Jackson.
Usually when guys get older their defense sees a down turn. Not Clemente. He still had the rocket arm, having 11 outfield assists, this being the 14th time he had double digits in assists in his career, and a 1.8 dWAR.
Clemente was still a very productive batter in 1972 (.835 OPS, 138 OPS+, 4.8 bWAR). Sadly, as all baseball fans know, Clemente died in a tragic plane crash on New Years Eve while delivering survival supplies to Nicaragua, which was recently hit by an earthquake at the time.
His last hit ever was his 3000th hit, and is still the only batter in Major League History to end at exactly 3000. He is also the only player to ever have the five year wait period waived before being elected into the Hall of Fame.