·
The Indians were established as one of the
eight AL charter franchises in 1901 as the Cleveland Bluebirds.
·
The franchise originated in 1884 as the
Grand Rapid Rustlers a minor league team in the Western League. When the team
moved to Cleveland they became the Lake Shores. After being the Bluebirds they
became the Broncos before being the Naps for twelve seasons.
·
They got their name because the club owner
asked the sports writers to choose a new nickname to replace the Naps name
after Nap Lajoie. It was a revival of the nickname that fans gave to the Spiders,
while a Native American was playing for them.
·
They play their games at Progressive Field
which is located in the downtown area in Cleveland, Ohio.
·
They have made the playoffs fourteen times
with one wild card berth and ten divisional titles.
·
They have won six AL Pennants and two
World Series Championships in 1920 & 1948.
Batting Lineup:
1.
CF Tris Speaker
2.
3B Joe Sewell
3.
1B Jim Thome
4.
DH Manny Ramirez
5.
2B Nap Lajoie
6.
C Victor Martinez
7.
RF Larry Doby
8.
LF Earl Averill
9.
SS Lou Boudreau
Starting
Rotation:
1.
Bob Feller
2.
Bob Lemon
3.
Early Wynn
4.
Sam McDowell
5.
CC Sabathia
Bullpen:
1.
Closer: Bob Wickman
2.
Jose Mesa
3.
Doug Jones
4.
Chris Perez
5.
Dave LaRoche
6.
Jim Kern
Bench:
OF-Kenny Lofton
OF-Albert Belle
INF-Omar Vizquel
INF-Ken Keltner
Coaching
Staff:
Manager-Mike Hargrove
Mike
Hargrove managed the Indians for nine seasons where he finished with the second
most wins with 721 and is in the Indians Hall of Fame. He guided them to five divisional
titles and two AL Pennants.
Bench Coach-Terry Francona
Terry
Francona has managed the Indians for seven seasons where he already has the
third most wins with 638. He guided them to one wild card berth, three divisional
titles and one AL Pennant. He also won AL Manager of the Year twice.
1B Coach-Al Lopez
Al
Lopez managed the Indians for six seasons where he finished with the fifth most
wins with 570 and is in the Indians Hall of Fame. He guided them to a record
then 111 wins in a season and to one AL Pennant in 1954.
3B Coach-Eric Wedge
Eric
Wedge managed the Indians for seven seasons where he finished with the sixth
most wins with 561. He guided them to one divisional title where they lost in
the ALCS but that got him The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award and MLB Manager
of the Year Award.
Hitting
Coach-Roger Peckinpaugh
Roger
Peckinpaugh managed the Indians for seven seasons where he finished with the
seventh most wins with 490. He also came back for a second run as manager where
he then became VP, then GM and president.
Pitching
Coach-Walter Johnson
Walter
Johnson managed the Indians for three seasons after his Hall of Fame career as
a pitcher.
Bullpen Coach-Lee Fohl
Lee
Fohl managed the Indians for five seasons where he finished with the ninth most
wins with 327. He guided them to one second place finish.
There
have been thirty six Hall of Fame players who have played for them at different
points in respective careers. They have retired eight numbers for players and
one number for the fans.
Nap
Lajoie spent thirteen seasons in the infield for the Indians as their greatest/longest
tenured second basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that
got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1937 and is in the Indians Hall of
Fame. He won four batting titles, led the AL in RBIs once and led AL second
basemen in putouts three times while there. He also was their player manager
for five seasons where he finished with the eight most wins with 377. He
finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Indians history like
having the highest WAR for position players, most at bats, hits, singles,
second most doubles, games played and offensive WAR to name some.
Jim
Thome spent thirteen seasons in the infield for the Indians as their greatest/longest
tenured first basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that
got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2018, is in the Indians Hall of Fame
and they retired his number 25. He made three of his five All-Star appearances,
won his only silver slugger and won the Roberto Clemente Award while there. He
also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Indians history
like having the most home runs, walks, second most RBIs, third most extra base
hits, third highest slugging percentage, on base percentage, fourth most total
bases and fourth highest offensive WAR to name some.
Lou
Boudreau spent thirteens seasons in the infield for the Indians as their greatest/longest
tenured shortstop where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got
him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1970, is in the Indians Hall of Fame and
they retired his number 5. He made all eight of his All-Star appearances, won
the 1948 AL MVP, won one batting title and was on one World Series Championship
team in 1948 while there. He also was their player manager for nine seasons
where he finished with the most wins with 728. He finished in the top 10 for
many offensive categories in Indians history like having the highest defensive
WAR, second most plate appearances, third most games played, third highest WAR
for position players, fourth most walks and at bats to name some.
Tris
Speaker spent eleven seasons in the outfielder for the Indians as their greatest
center fielder where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected
into the Hall of Fame in 1937 and is in the Indians Hall of Fame. He won one
batting title, led the AL in RBIs once, was on one World Series Championship
team in 1920 while there, and has the most career doubles and outfield assists
in MLB history. He also was their player manager for eight seasons where he finished
with the fourth most wins with 617. He finished in the top 10 for many
offensive categories in Indians history like having the most doubles, highest
on base percentage, highest offensive WAR, second highest WAR for position
players, second highest batting average, second most hits, runs scored, total
bases, triples, walks and extra base hits to name some.
Larry
Doby spent ten seasons in the outfield for the Indians where he put up numbers
that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1998,
is in the Indians Hall of Fame and they retired his number 14. He made all
seven of his All-Star appearances, led the AL in home runs twice, led the AL in
RBIs once and was on one World Series Championship team in 1948 while there. He
was first player to break color barrier in the AL and was one of the two first black
players to win a World Series with his teammate Hall of Famer Satchel Paige. He
also finished with the sixth most home runs, seventh most walks, seventh
highest offensive WAR, eight highest WAR for position players, ninth most RBIs
and tenth most runs scored in Indians history.
Joe
Sewell spent eleven seasons in the infield for the Indians where he put up numbers
that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1977
and is in the Indians Hall of Fame. He led the AL in doubles once and was on one World Series Championship
team in 1920 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories
in Indians history like having the third most singles, fourth most hits,
doubles, firth most plate appearances, sixth most RBIs, games played and sixth
highest offensive WAR to name some.
Earl
Averill spent eleven seasons in the outfield for the Indians where he put up
numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in
1975, is in the Indians Hall of Fame and they retired his number 3. He made all
six of his All-Star appearances, first player to hit four home runs in a
double-header, led the AL in hits once, and led the AL in triples once while
there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Indians
history like having the most extra base hits, RBIs, triples, total bases, plate
appearances, runs scored, second most bats, third most doubles, hits and third
highest offensive WAR to name some.
Bob
Feller pitched eighteen seasons for the Indians as their greatest pitcher where
he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall
of Fame in 1962, is in the Indians Hall of Fame and they retired his number 19.
He made all eight of his All-Star appearances, won the pitching Triple Crown once,
led the AL in wins six times, led the majors in strikeouts seven times, led the
AL in ERA once, pitched three no-hitters and was on one World Series Championship
team in 1948 while there. He also finished as the franchise leader for many
pitching categories in Indians history like having the most wins, strikeouts,
innings pitched, complete games, games started and highest WAR for pitchers.
Bob
Lemon pitched thirteen seasons for the Indians where he put up numbers that
speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1976, is in
the Indians Hall of Fame and they retired his number 20. He made all seven of
his All-Star appearances, led the AL in wins three times, led the AL in strikeouts
once, led the AL in shutouts once, pitched a no-hitter and was on one World
Series Championship team in 1948 while there. He also finished in the top 10
for many pitching categories in Indians history like having the third most
wins, innings pitched, shutouts, games started and sixth highest WAR for
pitchers to name some.
Early
Wynn pitched ten seasons for the Indians where he put up numbers that speak for
themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1972 and is in the
Indians Hall of Fame. He made three of his nine All-Star appearances, led the
majors in wins once, led the AL in strikeouts once and led the AL in ERA once while
there. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Indians
history like having the fourth most strikeouts, fifth most wins, seventh
highest WAR for pitchers, seventh most shutouts, games started and innings
pitched to name some.
Manny
Ramirez spent eight seasons in the outfield for the Indians where he made four
of his twelve All-Star appearances, won three of his nine silver sluggers, won
one AL Hank Aaron Award and led the AL in RBIs once while there. He also finished
with the highest slugging percentage, third most home runs, fourth highest on
base percentage, eight most RBIs, ninth most extra base hits and tenth highest
offensive WAR in Indians history.
Victor
Martinez spent eight seasons behind the plate for the Indians as their greatest
catcher where he made three of his five All-Star appearances and won one of his
two silver sluggers while there.
Sam
McDowell pitched eleven seasons for the Indians where he made all six of his
All-Star appearances, led the AL in ERA once, led the AL in strikeouts five
times while there and is in the Indians Hall of Fame. He also has the second
most strikeouts, fifth highest WAR for pitchers, eighth most shutouts, games
started and tenth most innings pitched in Indians history.
CC
Sabathia pitched eight seasons for the Indians where he made three of his six All-Star
appearances, led the AL in shutouts twice and won one AL CY Young Award while
there. He also finished with the sixth most strikeouts in Indians history. Other
notable starters in Indians history have been Mel Harder, Jim Bagby, Wes Ferrell, Mike Garcia, Dennis Martinez, Earl Moore, Cy Falkenberg, George Uhle, Johnny Allen, Earl Whitehill, Allie Reynolds, Steve Gromek, Jim Perry,
Mudcat Grant, Gary Bell, Luis Tiant, Dick Donovan, Sonny Siebert, John Denny,
Rick Sutcliffe, Orel Hershiser, Tom Candotti, Greg Swindell, Charles Nagy, Dwight Gooden, Bartolo Colon, Cliff Lee, Roberto Hernandez, Paul Byrd, Jake Westbrook,
Dave Burba, active players Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Hall of Famers Stan Coveleski, Addie Joss, Satchel Paige, Cy Young, Gaylord Perry, Dennis Eckersley,
Bert Blyleven, Phil Niekro and Jack Morris.
Kenny
Lofton spent ten seasons in the outfield for the Indians where he made five of his six All-Star
appearances, won all four of his gold gloves, led the AL in stolen bases five
times while there and is in the Indians Hall of Fame. He also finished in the
top 10 for many offensive categories in Indians history like having the most
stolen bases, third most runs scored, third highest defensive WAR, fifth
highest WAR for position players and eight highest offensive WAR to name some.
Albert
Bell spent eight seasons in the outfield for the Indians where he made four of
his five All-Star appearances, won four of his five silver sluggers, led the AL
in home runs once, led the AL in doubles twice, led the AL in RBIs three times,
first player ever to hit 50 home runs-50 doubles in a season while there and is
in the Indians Hall of Fame. He also finished with the second highest slugging percentage,
second most home runs, tenth most RBIs and extra base hits in Indians history. Other
notable outfielders in Indians history have been Charlie Jamieson, Joe Vosmik,
Jeff Heath, Dale Mitchell, Tito Francona, Minnie Minoso, Shoeless Joe Jackson,
Leon Wagner, Brian Giles, Marty Cordova, David Justice, Matt Lawton, Coco Crisp, Jose Cardenal, George Hendrick, Rick Manning, Brett Butler, Joe Carter,
Marquis Grissom, Milton Bradley, Grady Sizemore, Michael Bourn, Jorge Orta,Vada Pinson, Ellis Burks, Rocky Colavito, Rico Carty, Oscar Gamble, active
players Shin Soo Choo, Michael Brantley and Hall of Famer Elmer Flick.
Omar
Vizquel spent eleven seasons in in the infield for the Indians as their second
greatest/second longest tenured shortstop where he made all three of his
All-Star appearances, won eight of his eleven gold gloves while there and is in
the Indians Hall of Fame. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories
in Indians history like having the second most stolen bases, fourth highest
defensive WAR, fifth most singles, at bats, fifth highest on base percentage,
sixth highest batting average, sixth most runs scored and plate appearances to
name some.
Ken
Keltner spent twelve seasons in the infield for the Indians as their greatest
third basemen where he made all seven of his All-Star appearances, was on one World
Series Championship team in 1948 while there and is in the Indians Hall of
Fame. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Indians
history like having the fifth most extra base hits, total bases, sixth most
doubles, at bats, plate appearances and seventh most RBIs to name some. Other notable
infielders in Indians history have been Charlie Hickman, George Burns, George Stovall, Hal Trosky, Eddie Robinson, Vic Wertz, Vic Power, Andre Thornton,
Chris Chambliss, their greatest manager Mike Hargrove, Richie Sexson, Travis Hafner, Jason Giambi,
Carlos Baerga, Bobby Avila, Ray Mack, Jhonny Peralta, Julio Franco, Ray Boone,
Al Rosen, Max Alvis, Graig Nettles, Buddy Bell, Toby Harrah, Brook Jacoby,
Aaron Boone, Casey Blake, Travis Fryman, Willie Kamm, Bill Bradley, Larry Gardner, Terry Turner, active players Edwin Encarnacion, Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Hall of Famers Eddie Murray, Roberto Alomar and Joe Gordon.
Sandy
Alomar spent eleven seasons behind the plate for the Indians as their second
greatest where he made all six of his All-Star appearances, won AL Rookie of
the Year, won his only gold glove while there and is in the Indians Hall of
Fame. He has also spent eleven seasons as their bench or first base coach. Other
notable catchers in Indians history have been Ray Fosse, Dave Duncan, John Romano, Jim Hegan, Rollie Hemsley, Luke Sewell, Steve O’Neill and active player
Carlos Santana.
Bob
Wickman was the Indians closer for six seasons where he made one of his two All-Star
appearances and led the AL in saves once while there. He also finished with the
second most saves and third most games finished in Indians history.
Jose
Mesa was the Indians closer for seven seasons where he made both of his
All-Star appearances, led the AL in saves once and won reliever of the year
once while there. He also finished with the fifth most saves and games finished
in Indians history.
Doug
Jones was the Indians closer for seven seasons where he made three of his five
All-Star appearances while there. He also finished with the third most saves
and second most games finished in Indians history.
Chris
Perez was the Indians closer for five seasons where he made both of his
All-Star appearances while there. He also finished with the fourth most saves
and games finished in Indians history.
Dave
LaRoche was the Indians closer for three seasons where he made both of his All-Star appearances
while there.
Jim
Kern was the Indians closer for six seasons where he made two of his three
All-Star appearances and won reliever of the year once while there. He also
finished with the tenth most saves in Indians history. Other notable relievers
in Indians history have been David Riske, Dan Spillner, Ray Narleski, Paul Assenmacher, Sid Monge, Michael Jackson, active pitchers Cody Allen and Andrew Miller.