By Jason Beck
SportsLine Staff Writer

Cal Ripken Jr. became a baseball hero and Baltimore legend for how many consecutive games he could put behind him. The great equation on the game's mind now is how many games he has left.

Even before Ripken's trip to the disabled list this week, experts pondered what toll the consecutive games streak had taken on his career. Skeptics who weigh on the severe side suggested he had become a meager contributor living off of his longevity record. Which side Ripken's numbers swing the argument toward depends on whose standards are used -- an average major-league third baseman or Cal Ripken.

Former Brewer Robin Yount had similar struggles to Ripken with age. (Allsport)

Only eight other players in history hit 20 or more homers in each of their first 10 full seasons. Ripken has done it only twice in the seven years since, including once in the last five. The 14-homer campaign he posted last season was second-worst to his 13 in the strike-shortened 1994 season. His 61 RBI last season easily comprised the lowest full-season total of his career.

Then come the stats and extenuating circumstances to suggest the game hasn't passed him. He hit .308 over the final 59 games of last season despite being the team's primary focus. He spent the year batting sixth or seventh in a lineup that struggled from the top down aside from Rafael Palmeiro. His .271 average fell only five points below his career clip.

Defensively, he posted some of his best numbers since the start of the decade as he mastered third base and met his strenuous standards. While his AL-best .979 fielding percentage was likely tempered by generous scorekeeping, he still converted a prime amount of chances with more than 100 putouts and 250 assists.

His contemporary as a power-hitting ex-shortstop, former Milwaukee Brewer Robin Yount, managed his third straight season of 77 RBI in 1992, the year he reached 3,000 hits. However Yount, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, managed just eight home runs that year and hit 21 points below his career batting average of .285. Yount moved to the outfield for the final nine seasons of his career and played in at least 158 games for four straight seasons, but he managed more than 130 games just once in his final three years.

Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, by contrast, rediscovered his power stroke after moving to first base for the final decade of his career. However, he struggled to stay above .250 batting for his final seasons despite posting a career average of .274. He finished his career as a platoon first baseman.

Other than the 2,632 consecutive games, here's the rest of Ripken's career by the numbers:

3 -- Other shortstops to bat at least .300, hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs. Banks, Nomar Garciaparra and Alex Rodriguez have also pulled off the feat.

4 -- Times Ripken has pinch-hit, three occasions for Mark Belanger and once for Eddie Murray. All of his pinch-hit appearances occurred in 1981.

5 -- Sacrifice bunts Ripken has made, the most recent occurring last Aug. 5.

13 -- Other Orioles who have worn No. 8. Dave Skaggs donned it for four seasons before Ripken arrived. Andy Etchebarren wore it the longest (1962, 1965-72).

16 -- All-Star Game appearances for Ripken, the last 15 as a starter.

18 -- Major-league players who were active at the start and finish of Ripken's consecutive games streak. Two of them -- Harold Baines and Jesse Orosco -- are current teammates.

25 -- RBI that Ripken's '98 total fell below his career average of 89.

.263 -- Ripken's career batting average in September and October.

311 -- Double-plays into which Ripken his hit, sixth on the all-time list and 17 behind leader Hank Aaron.

345 -- Ripken's big-league record for homers by a shortstop.