The 9 greatest players in Cleveland baseball history
The list of players who had Hall of Fame-caliber peaks that began their careers in Cleveland but were ultimately traded or allowed to walk in free agency isn't a very fun one to look back on if you grew up watching games at what was once called Jacobs Field.
Manny Ramírez was a first-round pick by Cleveland in the 1993 MLB Draft, and proved to be one of the best selections in franchise history. While playing for Cleveland, Ramírez was a four-time All-Star who led baseball with a staggering 165 RBIs in 1999 and ultimately hit 236 home runs in parts of eight seasons in Cleveland.
However, Ramírez departed Cleveland for Boston after the 2000 season, agreeing to an eight-year $160 million free-agent deal with the Red Sox. The Red Sox hadn't won a World Series since 1918 when they signed Ramírez, but he helped Boston to capture two World Series titles (2004 & 2007) during seven-and-a-half seasons with the Red Sox. Most remember Ramírez as a Red Sox, which makes sense given that he played his most games (1,083) and hit the largest chunk (274) of his 555 career home runs with the franchise.
In the same year that Ramírez led the Red Sox to their second World Series title in four years, CC Sabathia captured the 2007 American League Cy Young Award. The workhorse lefty was a first-round pick (20th overall) by Cleveland in the 1998 MLB Draft. He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2001, and made All-Star teams in 2003, 2004 and 2007 as a representative of Cleveland.
But with a looming historic payday, Cleveland traded Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers in July of 2008. Sabathia went 11-2 as a Brewer, posting a 1.65 ERA and seven complete games in 17 starts with the Crew. After helping the Brewers reach the postseason for the first time since 1982, Sabathia signed a seven-year/$161 million free-agent deal with the New York Yankees. Sabathia spent the final 11 seasons of his career with the Yankees, winning 134 regular season games and helping the franchise to capture the 2009 World Series.
Even as Sabathia dominated in Milwaukee, Cleveland fans were treated to special pitching during the second-half of the 2008 season, with Cliff Lee wrapping up a 22-3 season that would earn him the AL Cy Young Award. A summer later, Lee was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He would put together a dominant postseason run of his own in 2009, going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in four postseason starts. Heck, Lee tossed a complete game in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series, outpitching his former teammate Sabathia at Yankee Stadium.
Lee spent parts of eight seasons in Cleveland, by far the largest chunk of his career. However, many remember him as a Phillie. Not only did he help the Phillies to win their second consecutive National League pennant in 2009, but he returned to the team in 2011 and was part of one of the greatest rotations in MLB history, along with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. In between his two stints with the Phillies, Lee was dominant in the 2010 AL playoffs as a member of the Texas Rangers, helping that franchise to reach their first World Series. Lee never pitched in the postseason while with Cleveland.
All three of Ramírez, Sabathia and Lee drew consideration for this list, but ultimately fell short, along with the likes of Bob Lemon, Larry Doby and the still-active José Ramírez. For a franchise that's existed since 1901, there were just a few players we deemed more worthy.
The Cleveland baseball franchise has previously used the nicknames "Blues," "Bronchos," "Naps," and "Indians." Ahead of their first season with the fifth nickname in team history, here are the nine greatest players in Cleveland Guardians history:
Previous Entires in This Series
- The 9 Greatest Players in Giants History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Astros History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Expos/Nationals History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Rangers History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Mariners History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Mets History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Angels History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Blue Jays History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Diamondbacks History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Orioles History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Marlins History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Phillies History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Rockies History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Rays History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Braves History
- The 9 Greatest Players in Padres History
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