Cleveland Indians: Ranking Terry Francona among the team’s best managers

3. Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker guided the Indians to the first World Series title in franchise history, winning it all in 1920 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Speaker did this as a player-manager. Can you imagine if Terry Francona served as a player-manager today?

The difference is that Speaker was in the prime of his career in 1920, guiding his team to a 98-56 record before defeating the Dodgers in what was a best-of-nine World Series.

Winning one of two World Series titles in team history puts Speaker high on this list, but he also ranks third in team history with 617 victories. His five postseason wins, all in the World Series, puts him third all-time.

The fact it has been nearly 100 years since the 1920 season means current fans may have no clue who Speaker is, but it is good to know the greats of the past. Speaker was an easy choice for the Hall of Fame, and finished his playing career with a .345 batting average and 3,514 hits. Add that to his numbers as a manager and that is a career worth celebrating.

Speaker was only able to reach the postseason once, but winning the World Series is what matters most and he made history by winning the first one for the Indians as both a player and a manager.