Cleveland Indians: Putting the Lineup into Historical Context
Everyone knows about the Cleveland Indians dominant pitching staff but how does the Cleveland offense stack up against some of the great lineups in Indians history?
The Cleveland Indians have had a long and storied past that dates back to 1901 with the Cleveland Blues. In that time, the team has won 9,293 games but only two World Series championships and none since 1948. The team has had some opportunities though with two World Series appearances in the 90’s and one in 2016, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Many people thought that the 2017 Indians were going to be the team to do it, but then they were abruptly bounced from the playoffs in the first round by the New York Yankees. Most of last year’s team returns for 2018 in what could be their last best chance at that elusive championship.
Most of the attention on this team goes to the pitching staff and rightfully so. It was only one of the most exceptional pitching staffs in the history of baseball. However, the offense is partly what let them down last year in the playoffs. I wanted to take a look at this year’s lineup and see how it compares to other great Indians teams.
I went all the way back to the last time that the Indians won the World Series in 1948 and looked at all of the Indians teams that made the playoffs or won at least 90 games. This yielded four “runs” of successful Indians teams: 1948-1955, 1995-2001, 2005-2007, and 2013 to the current squad.
Cleveland Indians: 1948-1955
The Indians teams of the late forties/early fifties were a pretty good offensive team that routinely ranked in the top half of the league in runs scored averaging 760 runs per year over this span. The 1948 World Series team was led by Hall of Famers, Lou Boudreau, and Larry Doby. Boudreau put up a 10 win season that year and won the AL MVP award but his production fell off a cliff after that, and he was never really productive again.
Larry Doby was a consistent contributor throughout the 50’s however, averaging over 5 WAR per year and a 144 OPS+. Another big bat during this time was the third baseman, Al Rosen. From 1950 to 1940 Rosen had a 151 OPS+, meaning he was over 50 percent better than league average at the plate, culminating in a 180 mark in 1953 when he won the MVP award.
Probably my favorite aspect of this era of Indians baseball was that Jim Hegan, an inferior hitter, was the starting catcher for the Cleveland Indians every season from 1947 to 1956. During that time, Hegan only posted a 78 OPS+ and yet played in five all-star games! Maybe he was really good at framing.
Cleveland Indians: 1995-2001
The Indians teams of the mid to late 90’s were known for their offensive might. Jim Thome, Roberto Alomar, Omar Vizquel, Albert Belle, David Justice, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, and Eddie Murray are all Hall of Famers or close to it, and they all were part of this run of success that culminated in two World Series appearances. The Indians averaged 909 runs per season during this stretch. They topped out in 1999 at 1009 which is the highest mark since the 1950 Boston Red Sox.
During this time, catcher and shortstop were the only spots that didn’t have a consistently above average hitter. This is because they had one of the greatest glovemen of all time at shortstop in Omar Vizquel. This era of Indians baseball is one of the greatest offenses of all time and one in which all other great offenses are measured against. However, not even this team was able to capture the elusive World Series trophy.
Cleveland Indians: 2005-2007
The run of success for the Cleveland franchise in the mid-2000’s was much shorter-lived than its previous stretches. However, this was a good team with solid contributors up and down the lineup. The team averaged over 800 runs during this time and was pretty much average or better at every position.
These teams were unique compared to the earlier iterations of successful Indians teams as they had productive hitters, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta, at the catcher and shortstop positions while the previous groups prioritized defense at those positions. The 2005 team also had two players, Aaron Boone and Alex Cora, who are both first-time Major League managers this year for the Yankees and the Red Sox respectively.
Cleveland Indians: The Present
This current run of success that the Indians are enjoying began in 2013 when the team won 92 games and played in the AL Wild Card game. While it took a few years to put it all together, the Indians are now a legitimate World Series contender. The pitching staff has been the trademark of this era, but the Indians have some offensive firepower as well.
Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are two of the most exciting young players in the game. Along with veteran slugger, Edwin Encarnacion, these guys are surrounded by players with tons of potential. Yan Gomes was a five-win player back in 2013 and could regain some of that magic.
Tyler Naquin was a rookie of the year candidate two years ago and is getting another chance in 2018. Michael Brantley can be one of the best hitters in the American League when he is healthy; it’s a matter of keeping him on the field. This could potentially be a very special offensive group, but how does it compare to these other past, great teams?