Cleveland Indians All-Time Top 20 Hitters in Franchise History

#1: Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker. The player-manager of the Cleveland Indians from 1916 to 1926 is one of the most fabled baseball players of the last century. After a pair of World Championships with the Boston Red Sox, Speaker was dealt to the Cleveland Indians. By 1920, he had led the Indians to a Championship of their own.

So what makes Speaker the number one hitter on this list? For starters, he holds the major league record with 792 career doubles (as well as a record 449 career outfield assists, if defensive prowess were to be taken into consideration). In his first season with the Tribe, Speaker led the league in batting average, and in 1923, he led in RBIs. This all happened after his 1912 MVP season, when he lead the league with 10 home runs in the deadball era.

At the end of his career, Speaker could boast a .345 lifetime average – but his numbers with the Indians were even better: .354/.444/.520, with 155 stolen bases, 73 home runs and 886 RBIs in 1519 games. He also had 3514 career hits.

Speaker led the league in WAR three times, and placed in the top ten every season from 1909 to 1926. He was an eight-time AL leader in doubles, and was at the top of the list in defensive categories nearly every season as well. After his retirement, he returned to the Indians organization and helped instruct many of the other names on this list – including Larry Doby – on both their defense and offense.

In 1937, Speaker was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the voters on his second ballot – a much deserved honor for the man who might easily be the best hitter in Indians history.

Next: Top 10 All-Time Pitchers

Think we missed someone? Tell us who you think the franchise’s best hitters are in the comments below.