Open Mic: Cleveland Indians All-Time Lineup

The Indians have been around for a long time. They have gone by names such as the Blues, Bronchos, Naps and now Indians. Many great players have worn the Cleveland jersey. But what would be the all-time lineup? Who are some of the best players at each position?

Below is my all-time Cleveland Indians lineup. I wanted to put players that were with the Indians for multiple season. Not the Bulldog or Cy Young who were only with them for a short time. The statistics shown are for each player while they were with the Indians at that specific position. So before you go and tell me someone has more home runs in their career or with the Tribe for that matter, remember, it's for the specific position.

Starting Lineup

C - Sandy Alomar Jr. (1990-2000) - Sandy was Rookie of the Year in 1990 with the Indians and was a key part of the success of the '90s Indians teams. He hit .277 with 944 hits, 92 HR and 458 RBI in his time with Cleveland

1B - Hal Trosky (1933-1941) - He hit .313 with 1365 hits, 216 HR, 287 2B and 911 RBI in his 9 seasons in Cleveland

2B - Nap Lajolie (1902-1914) - He is the namesake of the Cleveland Naps from 1903-1914. He hit .338 with 1931 hits, 859 RBI, 404 2B and 227 SB while with the team.

3B - Ken Keltner(1937-1949) - He was an large part of the 1948 World Series Champion team. That year he hit 31 HR and drove in 119. While with the Indians he hit .276 with 1561 hits, 163 HR 850 RBI and 306 SB

SS - Lou Boudreau (1938-1950) - He had an amazing 1948 campaign, hitting a staggering .355 with 18 HR and 106 RBI. He was a .297 hitter with 63 HR, 1706 hits, 740 RBI and 367 2B while with the Indians for 13 seasons.

OF - Earl Avrill (1929-1939) - He hit .322 with 1154 R, 1903 hits, 226 HR, 1084 RBI and 377 2B while with the Tribe for 11 seasons.

OF - Tris Speaker(1916-1926) - He hit .354 with 1965 hits, 1154 R, 73 HR, 884 RBI, 486 2B, and a .432 OBP

OF - Kenny Lofton (1992-1996, 1998-2001, 2007) - He was the human highlight reel in CF for his three stints with the Tribe. He led off for the World Series team in 1995 and made great play after great play his entire career. Overall he hit .300 with 1512 hits, 87 HR, 518 RBI, 452 SB, and 975 R.

Starting Rotation

P - Bob Feller(1936-1956) He won 20 games 6 times with 27 coming in 1940. He went 266-162 with the Indians. He had a 3.25 ERA with 278 CG, 44 shutouts and 2581 K's in 3827 IP.

P - Mel Harder(1928-1947) He won 20 games twice. He went 223-186 with a 3.80 ERA. He had 181 CG and 25 shutouts. he fanned 1161 in 3426.1 IP.

P - Bob Lemon(1946-1958) - Won 20 games 7 times. with 23 coming twice in '50 & '54. In the championship season of 1948 he won 10 of his 20 games by way of a shutout. He went 207-128 with a 3.23 ERA and 188 CG and 31 shutouts. He struck out 1277 in 2850 IP.

P - Addie Joss(1902-1910) - He won 20 games in 4 straight seasons with 27 wins and 31 CG in 1907. He went 160-97 with a 1.89 ERA and 234 CG in 260 starts. He gave up only 19 HR in 2327 IP.

P - C.C. Sabathia(2001-2008) - (He was C.C. when he was with the Tribe) He won the 2007 Cy Young Award. He went 106-74 with a 3.83 ERA and 19 CG. He had 1265 K's in 1528.2 IP.

Bench

C - Victor Martinez (2001-present) - May go down as one the best offensive catchers in the game. In just a short time he has hit .299 with 774 hits with 86 HR, 437 RBI and a .370 OBP

1B/3B - Jim Thome (1991-2002) - He hit .286 as a 1B and .288 as a 3B. Had a .420 OBP as a 1B. Combined to hit 334 HR. Still is one of the best pure power hitters in the game.

SS - Omar Vizquel (1994-2004) - Had 1606 hits and batted .283 with 279 SB, 60 HR, 584 RBI and 288 2B. Is one of the best fielding players in the history of the game.

OF - Larry Doby (1947-1955, 1958) - Was the first African American in the American League. Hit .287 with 215 HR, 1229 hits and 774 RBI.

OF - Manny Ramirez(1993-2000) - Before he was just Manny being Manny he was just a pure hitter. He hit .315 with 1077 hits, 234 HR, 799 RBI, 660 R, and a .409 OBP.

OF - Joey (Albert) Belle (1989-1998) - He was the power hitter when the crazy power numbers weren't there. He hit 50 HR and 52 2B in 1995. While with the Tribe he hit .303 with 858 hits, 207 HR and a .603 SLUG%.

OF - Grady Sizemore (2004-present) - When all is said and done he may be one of the best all-around players to have ever played. In his still young career, he's hitting .281 with 701 hits, and 105 HR (and counting) with 324 RBI, 155 2B and 33 3B.

Bullpen

P - Charles Nagy(1990-2002) - Was a key pitcher in the World Series runs in '95 and '97. Went 129-103 with a 4.51 ERA and 31 CG with 1235 K's in 1942.1 IP.

P - Sam McDowell(1961-1971) - 20 game winner in 1970. He also had 300+ K's in 1965 and 1970. Went 122-109 with a 2.99 ERA and 97 CG with 22 shutouts. Had 2159 K's in just 2109 IP.

P - Jose Mesa(1992-1998) - Was the closer for 3 season and had 46 saves in 1995. Had a 3.88 ERA with 104 saves and 447 K's in 647.1 IP.

P - Bob Wickman(2000, 2001-2005, 2006) - Had a 3.23 ERA and is the all-time leader in club history with 139 saves. Had 197 K's in 248.1 IP

P - Doug Jones(1986-1991, 1998) - Had a 3.06 ERA and 129 saves. Also had 367 K's in 452.1 IP.

Batting Order

1. Kenny Lofton CF

2. Tris Speaker LF

3. Nap Lajolie 2B

4. Jim Thome DH

5. Earl Avrill RF

6. Hal Trosky 1B

7. Lou Boudreau SS

8. Ken Keltner 3B

9. Sandy Alomar Jr. C

SP - Bob Feller

CP - Jose Mesa