Cleveland Indians All-Time Top 20 Hitters in Franchise History

#9: Kenny Lofton

The speedy Kenny Lofton certainly isn’t on this list for his power-hitting abilities, but that didn’t stop him from pushing out plenty of home run hitters on the Tribe’s leaderboards. Lofton is ranked fourth in career WAR amongst position players, third in runs scored (975), ninth in hits (1,512), and of course, first in stolen bases with 452.

Lofton began his career in Houston, but found himself in a Cleveland uniform after just one season. From 1992 to 2001, he patrolled the outfield for the Indians in all but one season, and was selected as an All-Star six times. In five straight seasons, he led the league in steals, swiping 54 or more bases from 1992 to 1996, including a career-high 75 in the final year of that streak.

Following the 1996 season, he was dealt to the Atlanta Braves, but when he reached free agency at the end of the year he immediately re-signed with the Tribe. Lofton received MVP votes in four seasons the the Indians, as well as winning four Gold Glove Awards.

In 1994, he led the league in WAR, at 7.2. His career WAR of 68.2 is ranked 115th all-time, which doesn’t sound like much until considering a) just how many players Major League Baseball has had, and b) Lofton’s game relied almost entirely on speed.

At the end of his 17-year career, Lofton had a .299/.372/.423 line, as well as 622 stolen bases and a surprising 130 home runs. He had scored 1528 runs. Despite these numbers, Lofton did not even make it past the first ballot of Hall of Fame eligibility – much to his very public dismay.

Next: Top 20 Hitters: #8