Daniel Corrigan| May 14th, 2020
The Cleveland Indians franchise has been around since 1894, where they were originally the Grand Rapids Rustlers, a minor league team in the Western League (which later became the American League.) They moved the team in 1900 to Cleveland where they became the Cleveland Lake Shores.
The franchise had a lot of name changes before they settled on the Indians in 1915, but the Indians franchise is one of the original eight American League teams, and one of the oldest franchises in baseball history.
While the Indians have not had great success as a franchise, they have had some pretty legendary players. With that, let’s look at the Cleveland Indians Mount Rushmore.
Be sure to check out all of our Mount Rushmore articles here.
Bob Feller (1936-1941/1945-1956)
This was the biggest slam dunk for the Cleveland Indians Mount Rushmore. While he never won a Cy Young, Feller was an eight-time all-star, led the American League in wins six times, and seven times Feller led the American League in strikeouts.
At the time of his retirement, he was the only pitcher to throw three no-hitters. Feller is a household name in Cleveland, and the majority of the population never saw him play. He could have had a better career stats-wise if he did not go off and fight in WWII. If you look at any Indians pitching record holder, chances are it is held by Feller.
Career Stats With The Indians: W/L: 266-162, 3.25 ERA, 2,581 SO, 279 CG
Jim Thome (1991-2002, 2011)
Thome will be the only “modern-day” player on this list. While you can argue that players like Francisco Lindor, Manny Ramirez, Omar Vizquel, and Kenny Lofton are all better baseball players than 75% of this list, I feel as though I’m forced to give old baseball players some love, as much as it hurts me.
Anyway, Thome was one of the most feared, and underrated power-hitters in the history of this game. He has the all-time Indians record in home runs with 337 and is also the all-time leader in walks.
Thome was the heartbeat of the 90s Indians “dynasty.” He helped guide the Indians to two World Series appearances and five consecutive AL Central titles. In his time with the Indians, Thome was a three-time all-star and a silver slugger in 1996.
Career Stats With The Indians: .287 BA, .414 OBP, 337 HR, 1,008 BB, 937 RBI, 928 R
Larry Doby (1947-1955, 1958)
Doby is arguably the worst player on this list, but don’t get me wrong he was an amazing player.
Doby does not get the recognition he deserves. He was the first African-American player to play in the American League. Doby was apart of the last Indians team to win a World Series in 1948.
In his time with the Tribe, Doby was a seven-time all-star and is top-ten in most Indians offensive records. With all his accomplishments and the significance of his existence, he did not become a HOFer until 1998.
Career Stats With The Indians: .286 BA, .389 OBP, 215 HR, 1,234 R
Tris Speaker (1916-1926) (Player Manager 1919-1926)
I really did not want to put Speaker on this list for two reasons. One, it can be argued that his best years were spent with the Red Sox. Two, I have too many players on this list that were alive during the roaring twenties.
However, Speaker is regarded as one of the most underrated hitters this game has ever seen. He is second all-time for hits, batting average, and runs scored for the Indians.
Speaker was a batting champion with the Indians and played a very big part in the Indians 1920 World Series championship not only as a player but as a manager as well.
Career Stats With The Indians: .354 BA, 1,965 H, 1,078 R
Honorable Mentions: Corey Kluber, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, Manny Ramirez
Check out our Cleveland Indians Season Preview for the 2020 season while we wait for baseball to get back on the field.
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