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March 8, 2016In preparation for Opening Day, we are taking a look back at the best Indians players to wear each number in team history. You can check out numbers 1-5 here.
No. 6: Joe Vosmik (1930-1936)
From the very beginning, Joe Vosmik had Cleveland written all over him. He was born in the Forest City in 1910. He graduated from East Tech High School, and debuted with the Tribe in 1930. The leftfielder became a regular for Cleveland the following season and had his career year in 1935. He led the league in hits (216), doubles (47), and triples (20) while appearing in his lone All-Star Game and finishing third in American League MVP voting. In 1937, Cleveland traded him to the St. Louis Browns. Vosmik accumulated a 16.6 WAR in seven seasons with the Tribe.
Honorable mentions: Ray Mack, Joe Azcue.
No. 7: Kenny Lofton (1992-1996, 1998-2001, 2007)
No. 7 seven proved to be the most difficult decision to date. Would the honor go to slugging first baseman Hal Trosky? How about 1953 MVP Al Rosen, who played his entire career with the Cleveland Indians? It was close, but ultimately the best number seven could only be one man: Kenny Lofton.
Lofton debuted with the Tribe in 1992 and immediately became the sparkplug that made the offense go. His blink-and-you-miss-it speed allowed him to get on base and steal bags like a kleptomaniac. In Game 6 of the 1995 ALCS he motored from second base to home plate on a passed ball, sending the Indians to the World Series. He played superb defense and was known to even rob a homer or two.
Even after playing in Atlanta for a year in 1997, he returned the following season and never lost a step. Lofton bounced around the league after leaving Cleveland in 2001, but he returned in 2007 to help the club reach a division title and ALCS appearance. I still wonder what would have happened if third base coach Joel Skinner had sent Lofton in the seventh inning of ALCS Game 7. Regardless, Lofton played parts of 10 seasons in Cleveland and accrued an impressive 48.5 WAR.
Honorable mentions: Trosky, Rosen.
No. 8: Albert Belle (1989-1996)
Albert Jojuan Belle had a complicated relationship with the city of Cleveland. He debuted with the Indians in 1989, but did not become the regular leftfielder until 1991. That season he began showing serious pop, with 28 homers and 95 RBI. As the team around him improved and entered contention, Belle became the Indians’ biggest bat in the Tribe lineup. In 1995, a season shortened by a players strike, he still managed to score 121 runs, crack 50 homers, drive in 126 runs, and record a .317/.401/.690 slash line with 377 total bases. Wow.
Postseason homers? He had those. Game-winning grand slams? Sure. He also had a unique way of breaking up double plays, was accused of corking his bat, and chased down teenagers who egged his house on Halloween. Belle chased the money out of town after the 1996 season and retired in 2000 at age 33.
Despite his volatile temper, he was a practically unstoppable offensive threat who seemed to be in scoring position from the on deck circle. He appeared in four All-Star Games as an Indian and won four Silver Slugger Awards as well. A WAR of 27.3 while in Cleveland shows how integral he was to the club’s mid-’90s success.
Honorable mentions: Ray Fosse, John McDonald.
No. 9: Carlos Baerga (1990-1996, 1999)
The mid-’90s clubs are quickly take center stage in this listing. The best number nine of all-time is our old friend Carlos Baerga. The switch hitting second baseman debuted with Cleveland in 1990, and became a central part of the core that would fully matriculate when Jacobs Field opened. Baerga appeared in the 1992, 1993, and 1995 All-Star Games, and earned Silver Sluggers in ’93 and ’94.
Like most of his teammates, he played exceptional baseball in 1995 to the tune of 15 homers, 90 RBI, and a .314/.355/.452 line. He played well during the ’95 playoffs, but midway through the following season Cleveland’s front office traded him and Alvaro Espinoza to the New York Mets for Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino. Baerga cameoed with the Tribe during the 1999 season, but he played a mere 22 games and did not make the playoff roster. He finished his Indians career with a 19.6 WAR. In 2013, the club inducted Baerga into the team’s Hall of Fame.
Honorable mentions: Duke Sims, Luke Easter.
No. 10: Max Alvis (1962-1969)
Number 10 proved a difficult digit to assign. First of all, there is Vic Power. The sweet swinging first baseman enjoyed a prosperous tenure in Northeast Ohio. Power appeared in two All-Star Games and won three Gold Glove awards for his play at first. He even received AL MVP votes in 1959 and 1960. The big knock against him is that he only played in Cleveland for three and a half seasons (534 games total).
On the other hand, we have third baseman Max Alvis. The pride of Jasper, Texas was as much a part of Cleveland in the ’60s as peace signs and the Beatles. An All-Star in 1965 and 1967, Alvis finished 17th in AL MVP voting in 1963 as well. Curiously, he twice led the league in most times hit by pitch. Ultimately, I decided to give the nod to Alvis, as his tenure (951 games in CLE), durability, and 9.1 WAR work in his favor.
Honorable mentions: Power, Pat Tabler, Yan Gomes.
So did we miss anyone that you expected to see? Sound off in the comments below or on Facebook with your top players at each number. Stay tuned to WFNY for the rest of the list.
1 Comment
Corey, I’m afraid a great injustice has been done here. Rocky Colavito wore No. 6 when he was a god in this town, even bigger than Jim Brown at the time. Granted, he wore it for only two years before he was stupidly traded by the Indians’ version of Ted Stepien, the hated Frank Lane. In ’58 and ’59, he hit a combined 83 HRs and drove in 224 runs. No offense to Joe Vosmik, but No. 6 belongs to The Rock.
As you alluded to, you could make a pretty convincing case for putting Rosen ahead of Lofton.
But, hey, different opinions make for good conversation. Looking forward to the rest of ’em.
P.S. It’s “The Immortal Joe Azcue.”