Johnny Allen RH (1936-40)
One of the first pitchers to throw a slider, he went 49-19 in his first three years in Cleveland, including 15-1 with 2.55 ERA in 1937. The two-time All-Star had a 67-34 record with the Indians and was 142-75 overall in a 13-year career. His 15 consecutive wins in 1937 remain a club record.
Jim Bagby Sr, RH (1916-23)
Led AL in wins (31-12 record), complete games (30) and innings (339.2) in 1920 as Tribe won World Series. Was first pitcher to hit a World Series homer in Game 5. Went 122-85 with 26 saves in Tribe career. Son Jim, Jr., went 55-54 for Tribe (1941-45).
Len Barker, RH (1979-83)
Pitched perfect game vs. Toronto, 3-0, on May 15, 1981. "Large Lenny" led AL in strikeouts in 1980, when he was 19-12, and 1981, when he pitched a scoreless All-Star inning at the Stadium. Went 56-49 in five seasons with Indians.
Gene Bearden, LH (1947-50)
Went 20-7 with an AL-leading 2.43 ERA as a rookie in 1948. He won the one-game AL playoff in Boston to put Cleveland in the World Series, then pitched a shutout in Game 3 and saved the championship-clinching Game 6.
Gary Bell, RH (1958-67)
"Ding Dong" went 96-92 with 45 saves in 10 years (1958-67) with Indians. An All-Star in 1960 and 1966, he was equally adept starting or relieving. His best years in Cleveland were 1959 (16-11, 5 saves) and 1965 (6-5, 17 saves, 3.04 ERA).
Tom Candiotti, RH (1986-91, 1999)
Led AL with 17 complete games in 1986 with a career-best 16 wins. Went 73-66 in 183 games overall with Indians and 151-164 as part of a 16-year career. Best ERA was 2.65 in 1991, when he was 7-6 with a 2.24 ERA for Cleveland before being dealt to Toronto.
Stan Coveleski, RH (1916-24)
Hall of Famer allowed two runs (0.67ERA) in three complete-game victories in 1920 World Series. Went 172-123 with 2.80 ERA, 31 shutouts and 194 complete games in nine years (1916-24) with Indians. Won 22 or more four straight years (1918-22).
Dennis Eckersley, RH (1975-77)
Began 24-year career with three seasons in Cleveland, going 40-32. Was 13-7 with two saves and a 2.60 ERA as a rookie. Was an All-Star and pitched 2-0 no-hitter vs. Angels at Stadium in 1977. Finished career with 197-171 mark and 390 saves.
Bob Feller, RH (1936-56)
Hall of Famer (266-162) had three no-hitters, 12 one-hitters and 44 shutouts. Eight-time All-Star holds club records for wins (266), strikeouts (2,581), innings (3,827) and walks (1,764) despite missing 3.5 years due to World War II. His #19 is retired.
Wes Ferrell, RH (1927-33)
Had 21 or more wins four years in a row (1929-32). Pitched a no-hitter over St. Louis Browns at League Park,April 29, 1931. Went 102-62 for Indians and 193-128 in 15 seasons overall. Holds the major-league record for homers hit by a pitcher, 38.
Mike Garcia, RH (1948-59)
Three-time (1952-54) All-Star went 142-96 with 21 saves for Cleveland. "The Big Bear" led AL in earned run average in 1949 (2.36) and 1954 (2.64), helping Tribe to World Series in '54. Won 18 or more four straight seasons (1951-54).
Jim Grant, RH (1958-64)
"Mudcat" became even more legendary in Cleveland in the 1970s as a Tribe TV announcer after going 145-119 with 53 saves in a 14-year career with seven clubs -- and 67-63 with eight saves for Indians. He was an All-Star in 1963 and again in 1965.
Vean Gregg, LH (1911-14)
Went 72-36 with a 2.31 ERA and was a 20-game winner three times in four seasons in Cleveland. His best season was a remarkable rookie year, when he was 23-7 with a league-leading 1.80 ERA as he pitched five of his 14 career shutouts.
Steve Gromek, RH (1941-53)
Went 78-67 with 17 saves in 309 games over 13 years with the Indians. An All-Star in 1945, when he went 19-9 with 21 complete games, three shutouts and 2.55 ERA. Won pivotal Game 4 of 1948 World Series over Boston Braves, 2-1.
Mel Harder, RH (1927-47)
Club leader in games pitched (582) and seasons (20) went 223-186. Holds all-time record of no runs allowed in 13 All-Star innings, over four games (1934-37). Won 15 or more games eight times. Tribe pitching coach, 1948-63. His #18 is retired.
Orel Hershiser (1995-97)
In three seasons in Cleveland, "The Bulldog" went 45-21 and helped the Indians gain the post-season each year, including two trips to the World Series. During the 1995 post-season, he went 4-1 with a 1.53 ERA allowing only 20 innings.
Willis Hudlin, RH (1926-40)
"Ace" compiled a 157-151 record with 31 saves in 475 games over 15 years with Indians, winning 10 or more games nine times. He went 18-12 in 1927 and 15-11 in 1935. He pitched complete games in 154 of 320 starts for Cleveland.
Doug Jones, RH (1986-91, 1998)
Holds the club career saves record (129). In three straight (1988-90) All-Star years with Indians, he had 112 saves and a 2.40 ERA. In 295 games overall with the Indians, he struck out 357 and walked 104 in 452.1 innings.
Addie Joss, RH (1902-10)
Hall of Famer had 2-0 perfect game vs. Chicago on Oct. 2, 1908 and no-hit White Sox on April 29, 1910. Twice led AL in ERA (1.59 in 1904; 1.16 in 1908). Went 160-97 with team records of 45 shutouts and 1.89 career ERA. Died at age 31 of meningitis.
Bob Lemon, RH (1946-58)
Hall of Famer, seven-time All-Star and seven-time 20-game winner had one no-hitter, 31 shutouts and went 207-128 with 22 saves in 460 games. Went 2-0 in '48 World Series. Converted infielder also hit 37 career homers. His #21 is retired.
Sam McDowell, LH (1961-71)
"Sudden Sam" led AL in strikeouts five times (1965-66, 68-70) and in ERA (2.18) in 1965. Fanned 2,159 in 2,109 innings for Tribe, going 122-109 with 2.99 ERA. Six-time All-Star had career-best 1.81 ERA in 1968.
Jose Mesa, RH (1992-98)
Converted starter had an incredible three-year (1995-97) run as a reliever, accumulating 101 saves in that span. Had amazing 1995, going 3-0 with club-record 46 saves (including 38 straight at one point) and a 1.13 ERA. Was 33-36 with 104 saves in 305 games for Tribe.
Guy Morton, RH (1914-24)
Compiled a 98-88 record in 11 seasons, all with Indians. Overcame 1-13 rookie year in 1914 for a team that went 51-102 with best season -- 16-15 with six shutouts and 2.14 ERA in 1915 for a 57-95 club. Went 14-8 with a 2.64 ERA in 1918.
Don Mossi, LH (1954-58)
Went 6-1 with seven saves and a 1.94 ERA as a rookie reliever in 1954. Had 27 saves in first three seasons, then became a starter in 1957, when he made the All-Star team and went 11-10. First five years of 12-year career were with Indians.
Charles Nagy, RH (1990-2000)
Three-time All-Star (1992, '96, '99) is 123-93. Thru 2000, best years thus far include 1992 (17-10, career-best 2.96 ERA, 10 complete games and three shutouts) and 1996 (17-5, 3.41 ERA). His single in 1992 was the first hit by a pitcher in an All-Star Game in 29 years. He currently ranks 10th in innings pitched and 5th in strikeouts in Indians history.
Ray Narleski, RH (1954-58)
Best season was his second, 1955, when he went 9-1 and led AL with 19 saves and 60 appearances. In five years with Indians, was a two-time All-Star and had a combined record of 39-21 with 53 saves.
Satchel Paige, RH (1948-49)
No player made such an impact on Cleveland in as short a time. Went 6-1 with 2.48 ERA and two memorable shutouts as 41-year-old rookie in 1948 after years in the Negro League. Was 10-8 with six saves in 52 games for Tribe and an all-time fan favorite.
Gaylord Perry, RH (1972-77)
Hall of Famer won 1972 Cy Young Award, going 24-16 with 1.92 ERA. Had a save in only relief outing in 41 games (342.2 innings) in '72. A two-time All-Star with Indians, going 70-57 with a 2.51 ERA in midst of a 22-year career (314-265, 3.11 ERA).
Jim Perry, RH (1959-63, 1974-75)
"The Commodore" led AL in wins (18-10) in 1960 and was an All-Star in 1961 while with Indians. Gaylord's older brother went 70-67 with five saves during two stints in Cleveland and had a career mark of 215-174 with 10 saves.
Robert Rhoads, RH (1903-09)
"Dusty" went 88-66 with a 2.39 ERA over seven seasons with the Indians. His best years were 1906 (22-10, 1.80 ERA) and 1908 (18-12, 1.77 ERA), when he had a no-hitter vs. Boston. Had 130 of his 154 career complete games for Indians.
Herb Score, LH (1955-59)
AL Rookie of the Year (16-10, 2.85 ERA) in 1955 went 20-9, 2.53 ERA in '56. Two-time All-Star fanned 547 in first 512 innings before being hit in the eye by a batted ball in '57. Retired in '62 with 55-46 mark and spent 34 years as Tribe broadcaster.
Sonny Siebert, RH (1964-69)
Pitched a 2-0 no-hitter over Washington on June 10, 1966, on way to All-Star Game. Went 16-8 in both 1965 and 1966 and compiled a 61-48 mark with a fine 2.76 ERA and nine saves in 181 games for Indians.
Luis Tiant, RH (1964-69)
Began 19-year career (1964-82) by going 75-64 with 12 saves and 2.84 ERA with Indians. Best year was 1968, when he started All-Star Game and went 21-7 with AL-leading 1.60 ERA, allowing just 152 hits in 258.1 innings and fanning 264.
George Uhle, RH (1919-28, 1936)
"The Bull" twice led AL in wins, complete games and innings: 1923 (26-16, 29 CG, 357.2 IP) and 1926 (27-11, 32 CG, 318.1 IP). Also batted .289 (393-for-1,360) with 187 RBI in 18 seasons in major leagues.
Rick Waits, LH (1975-83)
Spent nine of his 12 years in the majors in Cleveland, where his 74 wins are the second-most by a left-hander in team history. Had good success against the rival New York Yankees. Had career-high 16 wins in 1979.
Early Wynn, RH (1949-57, 1963)
Hall of Famer and 300-game winner pitched in three All-Star Games for Indians and six overall in 23-year career (1939-63). A 20-game winner four times in 10 years in Cleveland, his overall record with the Tribe was 164-102 with 10 saves and a 3.24 ERA.
CATCHERS (7)
Sandy Alomar (1990-2000)
Six-time All-Star hit game-winning homer and was MVP of 1997 All-Star Game at Jacobs Field. Won 1990 Gold Glove, when he was AL Rookie of the Year. Hit 93 homers in 985 games for Indians. Best year was 1997(.324, 21 HR, 83 RBI).
Joe Azcue (1963-69)
Had career highs of 14 homers and .280 average in 1963. Hit .280 in 1968 when he was an All-Star. Compiled .252 average with six teams (1960-72). He led AL catchers in fielding percentage in both 1967 and 1968.
Ray Fosse (1967-72, 1976-77)
Two-time All-Star had best year in 1970 when he had career-bests of 18 homers, 62 runs, 61 RBI and .307 average despite shoulder injury suffered in a collision with Pete Rose in an All-Star Game. Had 50 homers in 600 games with Tribe.
Jim Hegan (1941-57)
Five-time All-Star played 1,526 games over 14 seasons with Indians. Considered one of the best fielding catchers of all time. Had career highs of 14 homers and 61 RBI in helping Indians win 1948 World Championship.
Steve O'Neill (1911-23)
Spent first 13 years of 17-year career in Cleveland. At peak of career as a fine fielding catcher (1920-22), he also hit .321, .322 and .311. Played in 1,365 games for Indians and had a 199-168 record as the team's manager, 1935-37.
Johnny Romano (1960-64)
Two-time All-Star with Indians (1961-62) his 91 homers were a team record for catchers until broken by Sandy Alomar. Hit 25 homers with 81 RBI in 1962. Batted career-high .299 in 1961. Had 129 homers in career (1958-67).
Luke Sewell (1921-32)
Played first 12 of his 20 major-league seasons in Cleveland. His best year with the Indians was 1927 when he hit .294 with 53 RBI. Played 978 of his 1,678 career games with Indians, including 944 at catcher. Brother of Hall of Famer Joe.
FIRST BASEMEN (9)
George Burns (1920-21, 1924-28)
Led AL with 216 hits and team-record 64 doubles in 1926, when he also had career highs in runs (97), RBI (114), a .358 average and beat out Babe Ruth for league MVP award. Averaged .327 in 757games with Indians and .307 in 1,866 games overall (1914-29).
Luke Easter (1949-54)
Had 93 homers and 340 RBI in 1,725 at-bats for Indians after long career in minors and Negro Leagues. Averaged 29 homers and 102 RBI over three-year span (1950-52). Hit longest homer (477 feet into upper deck) in Cleveland Stadium history.
Lew Fonseca (1927-31)
Had fabulous 1929 when .369 average led AL and he set career highs in hits (209), runs (97), doubles (44), triples (15), RBI (103) and steals (19). Averaged .337 in 401 games for Indians and had a .316 mark over 12-year career (1921-33).
Mike Hargrove (1979-85)
"The Human Rain Delay" batted .292 in 888 games with Indians. Led AL with a .432 on-base percentage in '81. Best year in Cleveland was 1980 when he hit .304 with 11 homers, 86 runs and 85 RBI. Went 721-591 as Indians manager (1991-99)
Vic Power (1958-61)
A four-time All-Star, including twice with Cleveland (1959-60), he won seven Gold Gloves with a revolutionary one-handed style in a 12-year career. He earned a Gold Glove all four years he was with the Indians, hitting .312 in 1958 and scoring 102 runs in 1959.
Pat Tabler (1983-91)
He was an All-Star in 1987, when he had career highs of 34 doubles, 11 homers and 86 RBI and hit .307, one year after batting a career-best .326. He hit a rather incredible .527 (29-for-55) with the bases loaded for Indians, and his .489 (43-88) career average with the bags juiced is tops over the last 20 years.
Jim Thome (1991-2000)
Three-time All-Star (1997-99) has 233 homers, 685 RBI and .284 average in 1,074 games. Twice led AL in walks (120 in 1997 and team-record 127 in '99). Converted third baseman also has 16 homers in 50 post-season games. Is 9 HR shy of being all-time HR hitter in Indians history.
Andre Thornton(1977-87)
Two-time All-Star (1982, '84) had 214 homers and 749 RBI in 1,225 games with the Tribe. Had 33 homers, 105 RBI in '78; 32 homers, 116 RBI in '82 and 33 homers, 99 RBI in '84.
Hal Trosky (1933-41)
In 1,124 games with Cleveland (1933-41), he totaled 216 homers, 911 RBI and a .313 average. In 1936, he had career highs of 42 homers, 162 RBI, 124 runs and a .343 average. In a four-year span (1934-37) he averaged 34 homers and 136 RBI.
SECOND BASEMEN (9)
Roberto Alomar (1999-2000)
Considered one of the games premier talents. In first two years in Cleveland, accumulated 249 runs, 80 doubles, 43 homers, 209 RBI, 76 steals and a .316 average, won two Gold Gloves and was on two All-Star teams. Owns 8 career Gold Gloves and is a 11 time all-star in his 13 year career.
Bobby Avila (1949-58)
Three-time All-Star hit a league-leading .341 in 1954, when he also had career highs in homers (15), runs (112) and RBI (67). Led AL second basemen in fielding in 1953, led league in triples (11) in 1952. Averaged .284 in 10 years in Cleveland.
Carlos Baerga (1990-96, 1999)
Switch-hitter and three-time All-Star (1992-93, '95) set numerous offensive records in four-year (92-95) span when he totaled 75 homers, 389 RBI, 365 runs, 44 steals and a .316 overall average. Hit .292 with nine RBI in 15 post-season games with Indians.
Joe Gordon, 2B (1947-50)
An All-Star in first three of four Tribe seasons. Career highs of 32 homers and 128 RBI helped Indians to 1948 World Championship. Hit 100 of his 253 career homers with Indians. Before that, was a six-time All-Star and 1942 MVP.
Odell Hale, 2B (1931-40)
Had three (1934-36) very good seasons amidst nine-year career with Indians. In those three years, he totaled 288 runs, 43 homers, 289 RBI and a .308 average. Played 488 games at second and 433 at third for the Indians.
Johnny Hodapp, 2B (1925-32)
Accumulated most of career stats in fabulous 1930 season when he led AL with 51 doubles and 225 hits to go with career highs in RBI (121), runs (111), homers (9) and batting average (.354). Averaged .318 in 608 games with Indians.
Duane Kuiper (1974-81)
Terrific defensive player, enjoyed best year in 1977, when he hit only career homer (in 3,379 at bats) off Chicago's Steve Stone and had career highs of 62 runs, eight triples and 50 RBI. Twice led AL second basemen in fielding percentage.
Napoleon Lajoie(1902-14)
Hall of Famer won three of his five batting titles in Cleveland. Was so popular the club was named (Naps) for him (1903-14). Was 397-330 as player-manager (1905-09). Hit .338 in career (1896-1916) and is among all-time leaders in many categories.
Bill Wambsganss (1914-24)
Turned unassisted triple play in Game 5 of 1920 World Series and had 1,083 hits in 1,170 games for Indians. A fine fielder throughout his 13-year career overall, he amassed 4,262 assists an 3,411 putouts in 1,492 major-league games.
THIRD BASEMEN (9)
Max Alvis (1962-69)
An All-Star in 1965 and 1967, he hit 111 homers in 951 games with the Indians. Had career highs of 22 homers and a .274 average in 1963. Later battled back from spinal meningitis, which sidelined him much of 1964.
Buddy Bell (1972-78)
Began career as an outfielder. A 1973 All-Star at third base, where he starred for 17 of his 18 years (1972-89) in majors and won six gold gloves and four more All-Star apperances in later years. Averaged .274 and hit 64 homers in 987 games with Indians.
Bill Bradley (1901-10)
Led AL third basemen in fielding percentage four times and hit .272 in 1,231 games with Indians. Best season in Cleveland was 1902 when he had career highs of 104 runs, 11 homers and a .340 average. Had career-best 83 RBI in 1904.
Travis Fryman (1998-2000)
In three years in Cleveland he has already established himself as one of team's all-time greats. Won Gold Glove and set career highs of .321 average and 106 RBI in 2000. Is a lifetime .279 hitter, however in three years with the Tribe, he owns a .293 average.
Larry Gardner (1919-25)
"The Happy Warrior" had an amazing 401 RBI with just 10 homers in 673 games for Indians. He closed a 17-year career with six seasons in Cleveland. He hit .310 with 118 RBI for the 1920 World Champs and .319 with 120 RBI the next year.
Toby Harrah (1979-83)
Best of his five years in Cleveland was 1982, when he was an All-Star and hit a career-best .304 with 25 homers, 100 runs and 78 RBI. Played 17 years (1969-86) overall. A team leader and steady fielder, he totaled 70 homers and 82 steals for Indians.
Brook Jacoby (1984-92)
A two-time All-Star (1986, 1990) in nine years with the Indians. "Jake" totaled 120 homers in 1,240 games and played a steady third base. Best years were 1985 (20 homers, 87 RBI, .274) and 1987 (32 homers, 69 RBI, .300).
Ken Keltner (1937-49)
Seven-time All-Star made two great plays in 1941 to stop Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Totaled 163 homers, 850 RBI and .276 average in 1,513 games with Indians. Had career highs of 31 HR, 119 RBI, 91 runs in '48 and .325 average in '39.
Al Rosen (1947-56)
Four-time All-Star and 1953 MVP (43 homers, 145 RBI, .336) twice led AL in homers, RBI and total bases. In last seven years (1950-56) before retiring at age 32, he averaged 27 homers, 86 runs, 102 RBI and a .287 average. Last Indian to win the MVP award.
SHORTSTOPS (7)
Lou Boudreau (1938-50)
Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star won 1944 batting title (.327) and was 1948 MVP (.355, 18 HR, 106 RBI). "The Boy Manager" went 728-649 as player-manager (1942-50), winning 1948 World Championship. His #5 is retired.
Ray Chapman (1912-20)
Only major-leaguer to die because of injury in a game. Hit in head by pitch by Yankees' Carl Mays on Aug. 16, 1920, and died next day. Led AL in runs (84) and walks (84) in 1918. Hit .278 with 233 stolen bases in 1,015 games and was a fine fielder.
Julio Franco (1983-88, 1996-97)
Played 1,088 of 1,891 career games with Indians. Hit 295 with 131 steals in 898 games, mostly as a flamboyant shortstop, in first tour with Cleveland. After a year in Japan, returned to majors and hit .322 as a first baseman-DH for Indians in 1996.
Woodie Held(1958-64)
Obtained from Kansas City in the Roger Maris trade, he hit 130 homers in 855 games for Indians, including a career-high 29 in 1959. He also played outfield, second and third in a 14-year career that included stops with six other clubs.
Joe Sewell (1920-31)
Hall of Famer played 11 years in Cleveland, averaging .320 in 1,513 games. Struck out just 114 times in 7,132 career at-bats. Hit .353 with 109 RBI in '23. Led AL in doubles (45) in '24; topped AL shortstops in fielding percentage three times.
Terry Turner (1904-18)
All-time Indians team leader in games (1,619) had 1,472 hits (eighth in club history) and 254 steals (second). He led AL shortstops in fielding percentage four times. Scored 699 runs overall in a 17-year career (1901-19).
Omar Vizquel (1994-2000)
Won Gold Glove all seven years in Cleveland and eight years in a row. Two-time All-Star (1998-99) had best season in '99 when he had career highs of 112 runs, 66 RBI and .333 average. Has 26 runs in 52 post-season games. His .982 career fielding percentage is the highest in MLB history among shortstops.
OUTFIELDERS (23)
Earl Averill (1929-39)
Hall of Famer and six-time All-Star had .322 average in 1,509 games for Tribe. Holds club marks for runs (1,154), RBI (1,024) triples (121), extra-base hits (724) and total bases (3,200). Hit .378 (AL-best 232 hits) in 1936. His #3 is retired.
Albert Belle (1989-96)
Set club homer mark for season (50, 1995). Four-time All-Star (1993-96) averaged 39 HR and 119 RBI in last six years with club. Hit career-high .357 in '94. Led AL in HRs (50) and doubles (52) in '95. Led AL in RBI in '93, '95 and '96.
Joe Carter (1984-89)
Hit 151 homers in 839 games with Indians. Best season in Cleveland was 1986, when he led AL with 121 RBI and had 29 homers and steals, 108 runs and .302 average. In last four years in Cleveland, averaged 31 homers, 106 RBI and 25 steals.
Joe Charboneau(1980-82)
The 1980 AL Rookie of the Year was nicknamed "Super Joe" and had both a book and rock-n-roll song written about him when he hit .289 with 23 homers and 87 RBI.
Rocky Colavito (1955-59, 1965-67)
Three-time All-Star (1959, '65, '66) with Tribe. Hit 190 homers in 913 games for club and 374 in career (1955-68). With Tribe, led AL in slugging (.620) in 1958; homers (42) in 1959; RBI (108) in 1965, and walks (93) and fielding (1.000) in 1966.
Larry Doby (1947-55, 1958)
Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star was first African-American in AL. Led AL in homers (32) and runs (104) in 1952 and homers (32) and RBI (126) in 1954. His homer won Game 4 of 1948 World Series. His #14 is retired.
Elmer Flick (1902-10)
Tribe turned down Detroit trade offer of Ty Cobb for this Hall of Famer, who hit .299 in 935 games with Indians and .313 with 353 steals in 13-year career. Bedford native won 1908 batting title (.308) and led AL in doubles three times.
Tito Francona (1959-64)
Best year was 1959, when he hit .363 with 20 homers in 122 games. Led AL in doubles (36) in 1960 and was a 1961 All-Star, hitting .301 with career-high 85 RBI. Averaged .284 in 835 games for Indians. Enjoyed a 15-year major league career.
Jack Graney(1908-22)
First major-leaguer to play a game with a uniform number (No. 1) in 1916 and first player to become a broadcaster in 1932. All 1,402 games in his 14-year career were with Indians. Led AL with 41 doubles in 1916. Twice led league in walks.
Jeff Heath(1936-45)
All-Star in 1941, '43 and '44, but not in best year of '38 (.343, 21 homers, 104 runs, 112 RBI and AL-high 18 triples). Had career highs of 20 triples, 18 steals and 20 assists in '41. Totaled 122 homers and .298 average in 947 games with Indians.
George Hendrick (1973-76)
Was an All-Star four times in his career and twice with the Indians (1974-75). In 546 games over four seasons with Cleveland, he had 89 homers, 295 RBI and was a graceful outfielder with an exceptional throwing arm.
Joe Jackson (1910-15)
Legendary "Shoeless Joe" had infamous 13-year (1908-20) career until age 30. He averaged .375 in 674 games for Cleveland, topped by a .408 mark in 1911. Led AL in hits (226) and triples (26) in 1912 and hits (197), doubles (36) and slugging (.551) in 1913.
Charlie Jamieson (1919-32)
In 1,483 games over 14 seasons with Indians, he averaged .316 and totaled 1,753 hits, 296 doubles and 107 steals while playing a fine outfield. He scored a career-high 130 runs in 1923, when he led the league with 222 hits and batted .345.
Kenny Lofton (1992-96, 1998-2000)
Club's all-time steals leader (430) in 1,091 games. Hit career-high .349 in '94. Overcame shoulder injury in '99 post-season to get career highs in homers (15) and RBI (73) in 2000. Has four Gold Gloves and five All-Star Game selections with Tribe.
Rick Manning (1975-83)
Played 1,063 games in nine years for Indians. Won Gold Glove in 1976 when he also hit a career-high .292. Led the Tribe in steals 3 times. Swiped 10 or more bases seven times for Tribe, topped by career-best 30 in 1979. Spent last 11 years of century as a Tribe TV broadcaster.
Minnie Minoso (1949, 1951, 1958-59)
Began 17-year career with 30 games in '49 and '51 with Cleveland. Returned for two-year stay (1958-59) as a huge fan favorite, totaling 45 homers, 186 runs, 172 RBI and 22 steals with a .302 average before being traded back to Chicago.
Dale Mitchell (1946-56)
A two-time All-Star (1949, 1952), he averaged .312 in 1,108 games for Indians. Led AL with 203 hits and 23 triples in 1949. Hit career-high .336 in 1948, when he led AL outfielders in fielding. Was considered one of the games svelt defensive outfielders before Gold Gloves were awarded.
Manny Ramirez (1993-2000)
Had 236 homers and 804 RBI in 967 games for Indians, including team-record 165 RBI in 1999, when he hit .333 with career-highs of 44 homers and 131 runs. Four-time All-Star had 127 homers and 432 RBI in 415 games over last three seasons.
Frank Robinson(1974-76)
Was first African-American manager in baseball history and hit homer in first at-bat in that role as player-manager in 1975. Among all-time greats (1956-76) in all offensive categories. Hall of Famer had only 235 at bats for Tribe, hitting .226 with 15 homers.
Al Smith(1953-57, 1964)
Led AL in runs scored (123) in 1955, when he hit .306 with 22 homers and was an All-Star. Hit 67 of his 164 career homers in 669 games for Indians. Played 1,517 games overall (1953-64). Also played 181 games at third base for Tribe.
Tris Speaker (1916-26)
Hall of Famer, 1912 MVP and 1916 batting champ (.387) played 11 years in Cleveland and 22 years overall (1907-28). All-time leader in doubles (792, AL leader eight times) and outfield assists (449) with .344 career average and 3,515 hits.
Joe Vosmik(1930-36)
Cleveland native's best season was 1935, when he led AL in hits (216), doubles (47), triples (20), played in the All-Star Game, and also had 110 RBI and a .348 average. In 824 games with Indians, he averaged .313.
Leon Wagner (1964-68)
"Daddy Wags" hit 97 of his 211 career homers with Indians. Best year in Cleveland was 1964 (31 homers, 100 RBI, 94 runs). Hit .294 with 28 homers in 1965. Also had 26 stolen bases in 30 attempts in 1964-65. Played 12 years (1958-69) overall.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And we love to see how they toughen up. From a current Sheldon Ocker Article.
Regarding critics who carp about Wedge minimizing the importance of bunting and stealing, he said: ``A lot of times, people pick on those things because they're not smart enough to know what else to say.''
Ooooooo. Thats probably going to leave a mark.
After Wedgies comment, we have picture of Admiral Shapiro , quietly standing nearby and commenting to an aid, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."
Unfortunately, history does not substantiate what has been discussed lately.
Another quote;
``We've had a lot of one-run games because when we get behind, we fight back,'' Wedge said. ``It also has something to do with the bullpen. So stolen bases are like bunting. They're real good if you pick the right time, whereas situational hitting is important from the first inning on.''
It is also good when you have a .100 BA player (Boone), with runners on, swinging away and coming up empty. This is when the fundamental practices should kick in. With runners on, Boone should soon get tired of seeing the bunt sign. His only hope would be to produce when no runners were on, and the bunt sign was lifted.
There is also talk this team will run more, with Barfield added to the mix. But history doesn't support it, and it is clearly a new area of baseball we will see this team venture into.
We're wondering why the Barfield-Sizemore combo looks more appealing than the Crisp-Sizemore combo did.
We note last year Crisp stole the same amount of bases as Grady did, in 57 less games, and at a higher success rate (84.6%)
Our concept of baseball is an easy one. The game consists of hitting, homeruns, doubles, singles, bunting, stealing, baserunning, fielding, pitching, and throwing. The idea is to master as many of those parts of the game as possible. We can focus on power hitting and pitching, as long as we have excuses for the others , we guess.
You put together some avid baseball fans and a good webmaster, and you get stuff like this, The Tribe Zone.
These guys just teamed up with Google to put together a sweeeet Player Search box. Now you no longer have to wade through those pages of search results to find the ones you can use.
Instead, they built a Google Search that searches ONLY the top baseball sites, 20+ and still counting.
Your search now goes to the best baseball sites only. Sites like Baseball Qube, Baseball America, MLB, Yahoo MLB, Sportsline, Minorleague Baseball, and many more!
Sweeeeet again.
Just head to the Tribe Zone and scroll down the page, you will see it.
Gearing up for the season, be sure to note the countdown as you scroll.
And their looking damn good. We can now see what Shapiro saw when he made these signings in the offseason. These guys looked pumped and ready, and, we dare say, looking alot faster than we're used to seeing.
So we caught up with Garko, asked him what he thought of sharing 1st base with Casey.
TRIBESPORTS:"So whats the story Ryan?"
GARK:"So I jump ship from the minors after working on the 1st base position and make my way over to The Jake, and I get in on the bench. A bench player, you know, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they send me to? The Dalai Lama Shapiro, himself. 2nd son of the Lama Shapiro. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on first base, taking some grounders. I say Lama Shapiro, am I going to play 1st base this year?
Do you know what the Lama Shapiro says?
"Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-galunga."
So we finish the practice and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama Shapiro, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when your traded, you will play 1st base and make lottsa money."
"So I got that goin' for me...... which is nice."
TRIBESPORTS:"Uhh, Ok. Thats nice. Good talkin to you Gark!"
Cellphones. A Curse. Like the glasses you wear to see better. Pains in the Ass, but damnit, you do see better with them. Cellphones fit that category. Pains in the Ass, but you do communicate better with them.
You can probably count the number of times I use a cell during the week on 2 fingers. So pardon my rant.
Cellphones in the workplace. Cellphones on the highway. I'm certain we have been frustrated with a driver on the highway, that has successfully slowed traffic as they chat away on their cell, totally ignorant to the bottleneck they have become. Or wondering what happened to the co-worker who was supposed to be helping you. Oh , there he is, thumbing a message on his cell.
If you have ever watched the start of a car race, pace car in the front, the racers lining up behind it, weaving to warm their tires, thats what a cellphone driver becomes, a pace car with everyone stuck behind them, 'warming their tires', waiting for the race to resume.
Then it hit us. Cellphones and the MLB. Can we see it coming? No more coaches in the 1st and 3rd base coaches box. They can successfully 'text' their runners from the dugout.
Pitching coaches have theirs also. If a pitcher struggles, the pitching coach can 'text' him. Can you see it, a pitcher steps back, flips open his newest and sleakest cell, reads the message (TEXT FROM COACH-YOUR SUCKING,TAKE YOUR TIME!), thumbs back his own reply (I KNOW), and the game resumes.
Managers can also get into the fun. Imagine during the game, a player in the field is suddenly alerted by the vibrating cell he has on him. Its the manager, sending a text to him. (MOVE BACK & STEPS...OH! THERE'S 2 OUTS).
Runners on 1st can get into the act also. Flip open the cell before the pitch, get your 'text sign'. (STEAL).
Imagine players in the dugout, face down, stareing into their cell, 'thumbing' away text messages. Hell, no need to actually watch the game, they can get scores updated on their cell.
Funnier yet is we've just added cell technology to our Tribe Zone. Dial 44636 and text "TRIBE ZONE".
While we wait patiently for the Indians to begin making some moves, which we don't expect to see until after the holidays, we've decided to keep updating The Tribe Zone.
We find no thrill in talking about other teams moves, like what is Sheffield going to do? Who cares? He's done made it clear if he doesn't like the move he will be a major pain in the ass for his new team, which pretty much says The Yanks won't have much luck moving him.
We hit alot of Indians sites on the web, and lately , we've seen mention by a poster on a forum a Dirty Uniform Index....which he had suggested be used, and an idea we've always liked.
And we couldn't agree more. The DUI (uhoh) in our opinion does incorporate several intangibles of a player, and puts them into view. Some of those intangibles include;
1)Hustle. Our favorite. Baseball is about hustling playings. The dirtier the uni, the better the hustle.
2)Desire. A dirty uni oftens ranks a players desire. A willingness to sacrifice the body. A willingness to win at all costs.
So using a scale of 1-5, 5 being superb, 1 being sucks, lets list a few players to get the point made.
Grady=5. Grady displays the dirty uni every game. Classic old School style baseball.
Jhonny=1. He needs to get dirty. He'll dirty the uni on a bad fall, thas about it.
Blake=2. He'll get dirty. He'll display a strong desire to make the play.
Omar=4. Omar did what had to be done. Headfirst slides, dives for grounders, Omar clearly ranked high with desire and hustle, when healthy.
Bellies=2. He'll get dirty, but damn it, you got the feeling he didnt want to.
The Dirty Uniform Index. (DUI)
This is one DUI we hope all our players rank high in.
We're pretty patient baseball bloggers here at Tribe Sports. Eventually it comes to show that our "OLD SCHOOL" scouting methods carry weight.
We harped on Wedgie and the teams inability to hold or throw out runners, And there's several reasons for it. We'll keep touching on them from time to time.
Wedgies fault as we pointed out is his pitchers don't make any attempts at holding runners in the past, and it seems like the more we dwelled on it, as of late, the more they do try to hold runners. Which is great. Some interesting stats just came into view.
Are throws to first to hold the runner a waste of time?
March 16, 2005
Picture this: A fast runner, known for stealing bases, is on first. Rather than pitch to the batter, however, the pitcher keeps throwing over to first to hold the runner.
Sometimes this can get pretty monotonous for us fans, especially after the first couple of throws. Is the pitcher getting anything out of this?
As it turns out, it does make a difference. Based on actual data from the 1990s, the stolen base percentage of a runner decreases if at least one throw is made over to first by the pitcher:
Stolen Base Percentage
No Throw Made ...................
72%
At Least One Throw Made....
63%
In fact, it even makes a difference if the pitcher makes more than one throw:
Stolen Base Percentage
One Throw Made............
64%
Two Throws Made..........
62%
Three or More Throws ....
61%
So, if it's your pitcher making the throws, cheer him on. If it's the opposing pitcher, it's your job as a fan to let him know that you don't appreciate all those throws!