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March 26, 2018Below, numerous WFNY writers endeavored to build a list of the 10 best Indians since the opening of Jacobs Field. The requirements being that the player had to play in Jacobs Field but their entire track record may be considered. You will notice considerable differences in the list often tied to whether the individual valued longevity or peak production or both equally.
Mike Hattery:
- Manny Ramirez
- Jim Thome
- Kenny Lofton
- Corey Kluber
- C.C. Sabathia
- Grady Sizemore
- Albert Belle
- Travis Hafner
- Francisco Lindor
- Roberto Alomar
The surprises on this list obviously: Lofton as the best and Lindor, no Vizquel. My list is built with equal weights to overall production and peak value. To me, top ten Indians is about peak production as much as it is longevity. When they were here, were they ever a star? Everyone on this list was a bona fide MVP or Cy Young candidate. Lindor will barring injury reach the top 4-5 on this list by the time he leaves Cleveland, and Jose Ramirez, Carlos Carrasco will likely sneak onto the back end of this list in the next year or two. Guys like Vizquel, Santana, and Nagy gave you stable long-term production which has its place. But above, you have the players with the best peaks in Cleveland uniforms in the past 25 years, and that is what matters to me. This list is somewhat unfair to the talent of the modern Indians as Brantley, Allen, and Kipnis do not sniff a spot on the top 10. And with just 1/2 more seasons logged, this current team will have Lindor, Ramirez, Kluber, and Carrasco. A heady bunch. But alas, a little more time is required to join a historic list.
Michael Bode:
- Manny Ramirez
- Kenny Lofton
- Albert Belle
- Travis “Pronk” Hafner
- Corey Kluber
- Jim Thome
- Carlos Santana
- Carlos Carrasco
- Francisco Lindor
- CC Sabathia
Honorable mentions: every other player who has donned the Cleveland Indians uniform. Yes, even you, Brent Lillibridge.
A list of the Top 10 Indians of the last 25 years is near impossible to compile. There is a guarantee of players who have filled many Cleveland summers with joy left by the wayside. Yet, the task was set forth and must be completed. Best efforts were done to balance personal attachment, longevity, peak excellence, and postseason importance, but I shall not be apologizing for emotions winning out in the event of a tie.
Joe “Gerbs” Gerberry:
- Jim Thome
- Manny Ramirez
- Kenny Lofton
- Corey Kluber
- Grady Sizemore
- CC Sabathia
- Cliff Lee
- Roberto Alomar
- Bartolo Colon
- Francisco Lindor
Thome is the best of my lifetime, as much as that might pain Papa Gerbs to see in writing. He has the franchise record in home runs by an insurmountable lead. ManRam is second for me mostly for sentimental reasons; Grandpa Gerberry and I would listen to Hammy calls of Manny for days which developed my love for the game long after both were no longer with us. Lofton should be in the Hall. Kluber is on his way with the dominance he has already exhibited. We forget how good Grady was before he broke down and CC/Cliff are too close to one another to really judge. Roberto is possibly one of the best second basemen we have seen, and Bartolo was the GOAT before JRam. I include Frankie here because he has already shown full seasons of greatness and is only going to continue on this path with no signs of slowing down.
Jacob Rosen:
- Jim Thome
- Corey Kluber
- Manny Ramirez
- Kenny Lofton
- CC Sabathia
- Omar Vizquel
- Grady Sizemore
- Carlos Santana
- Travis Hafner
- Roberto Alomar
There’s been a lot of Jim Thome slander here on the internet recently … but I’ll have none of that. He was dominant in the ’90s for the Indians. Yes, the ending was bitter, but he’s my No. 1 for his Cleveland duration and superstardom. After that, Kluber’s two Cy Young awards give him the nod for me at No. 2. I’m still mad about Kenny Lofton’s early exit from the Hall of Fame ballot. In general, I favored long-time position players over pitchers. Hafner’s 2005-2007 prime remains criminally underappreciated. And I think Lindor is right on the cusp of making my top 10 … just give me one more All-Star season. I may scramble that 9-15 ranking any moment now.
Corey Barnes:
- Jim Thome
- Omar Vizquel
- Kenny Lofton
- Corey Kluber
- CC Sabathia
- Cliff Lee
- Travis Hafner
- Francisco Lindor
- Carlos Santana
- Grady Sizemore
First off, Ubaldo Jimenez barely missed the cut (kidding). Thome gets top billing for me thanks to his recent Hall of Fame credentials, but Omar is a very close second. Vizquel defined shortstop in my early memory and made every play seem possible. Lindor certainly has the chance to climb this list over his career. I don’t know if Grady Sizemore is really a top ten player, but he made his mark on the team when healthy and I always enjoyed watching him play.
Josh Poloha:
- Jim Thome
- Omar Vizquel
- Corey Kluber
- Kenny Lofton
- Manny Ramirez
- Albert Belle
- CC Sabathia
- Travis Hafner
- Grady Sizemore
- Francisco Lindor
Honestly, it was tough for me to only pick 10 players, let alone put them in order from 1-to-10. I could shuffle a few of these guys around and still feel good about it. With that said, a list like this allows us to realize all of the talent that has been in (and out) of Cleveland since 1994. Cherish it, you guys. Both Kluber and Lindor have a shot to move up the rankings if they continue their dominance.
Editor Scott Sargent dropped his answer on Twitter:
Thome
Sabathia
Manny
Omar
Kenny
Kluber
Albert
Brantley
Victor
RobbyHM: Lee, Grady, Lindor, J Ram, Hafner
— Scott @ WFNY (@WFNYScott) March 20, 2018
Lists I (Mike Hattery) found fascinating:
Tony going with Kluber as the only pitcher is a bold move and I find the top of his list really interesting. Was tempted to place Lofton over Thome.
1. Belle
2. Lofton
3. Thome
4. M. Ramirez
5. Kluber
6. Sizemore
7. Lindor
8. R. Alomar
9. Vizquel
10. HafnerHonorable mentions: C. Lee, J. Ramirez, V. Martinez, S. Alomar, Sabathia, Fryman, Murray, Hershiser, Colon
— Tony Mazur (@TonyMazur) March 20, 2018
Choo was interesting, definitely top 15 but such a forgettable era that overlooking him was easy.
thome, kluber, manny, lofton, lee, CC, martinez, santana, grady, lindor (little projection here but I am going with it). omar, kip, pronk, choo, belle are my honorable mentions
— Chad Young (@chadyoung) March 20, 2018
T.D. went longevity heavy and his list makes a lot of sense in that light. Definitely cool to compare longevity lists versus peak productions lists.
Top of my head (longevity is important, hence, No Albert, Frankie, JRam) Thome, Manny, Vizquel, Lofton, Kluber, CC, Victor, Santana, Brantley, Pronk
— T.D. Dery (@TD1TribeKU) March 20, 2018
A joking list but I must confess with Davis’ velocity and toolset, it is amazing to me the Indians could not turn him into a serviceable reliever. Also, Carson tenure was one of my favorites.
sort by all time hr/fb rate and your winners are
1. jason davis
2. matt carson
3. george kottaras
4. luke carlin
5. jim thome— alex gentilis (@agentilis92) March 20, 2018
Jim Pete
- Corey Kluber
- Manny Ramirez
- Kenny Lofton
- Albert Belle
- Jim Thome
- Andrew Miller
- CC Sabathia
- Grady Sizemore
- Francisco Lindor
- Carlos Santana
Honorable Mention: Roberto Alomar was at #6 on this list, and I dumped him completely out for Miller. Jason Kipnis should get a sniff here, and JRam was in 10, but I bumped him in honor of Santana. Cliff Lee had that pretty special season, and Omar…sweet, sweet Omar. VMart was El Capitan, and Pronk had that massive year. I could go on…but you know…word count rules.
To look past Corey Kluber as the #1 player on this list simply because he’s a pitcher is a mistake. He’s the only Indians player to ever win two Cy Youngs, and while he’s not the greatest Indians’ starter of all time, he’s the greatest Indians’ starter any of us have ever seen, and oh yeah…remember that time he carried the Indians through the 2016 playoffs to a breath away from the World Series?. Manny Ramirez was an offensive savant, and Kenny Lofton, in many ways, was the 90s Indians to me. Albert Belle started at the top, and stays ahead of Jim Thome, simply because Thome said it best when he talked about how the entire 90s team looked up to Albert. Until 1996, the Indians were his team. When I think power hitting, Cleveland Indians’ hitter, Belle is always the first guy that pops into my head, and that run from 1994 through 1996 was really special. Thome’s in the Hall of Fame, and I loved good ole’ #25. Without Andrew Miller, there’s no 2016 World Series. He’s singularly the greatest reliever I’ve ever seen wear an Indians’ jersey, and co-carrying that 2016 team with Corey Kluber seems important enough to put him on the list. Sabathia was the best Indians pitcher in the aughts, and got that Cy Young. Sizemore was the face of the franchise, and coulda been the face of the league, if not for injuries. Lindor is the face of the franchise, and could be the face of the league, if it all plays out. Santana? He was the glue of the team since 2010…and would do anything to win. My next paragraph would be the #’s, but I’m not adding any more words to this than I have to…;).