Cleveland Indians: What Tribe greats would make up a Field of Dreams lineup?

LF – Tris Speaker, Cleveland Indians (1916-1926)

Another player/manager great in the history of Cleveland baseball, Tris Speaker was the man behind the 1920 title that brought the city it’s first championship. While Speaker didn’t win an MVP in Cleveland like he did in Boston, he still managed to be one of the best players in the game at the time.

Speaker’s best stat will always be his doubles. While in Cleveland, he led the majors in the stat during five different seasons, including each season from 1920 until 1923. When his career ended, he had totaled 792 doubles, an MLB-record that still stands. The closest is Pete Rose who was 46 shy of the record. After Rose, Speaker has nearly 70 more than the third name on the list, Stan Musial.

Speaker also led the majors in doubles during the 1923 campaign, tallying 103, one of just two 100+ RBI seasons over his 22-year major league career.

CF – Earl Averill, Cleveland Indians (1929-1939)

A six-time All-Star for the Tribe, spanning consecutive seasons from 1933 until 1938, Earl Averill is one of the select few players who have their number retired by Cleveland. While he never won an MVP award, he finished in the top five on three different occasions over that same span.

Averill’s best season, statistically, came in 1936. He led the majors in hits with 232 as well as triples with 15. The performance placed him at a career-best third in the MVP voting. He was also able to slash .378/.438/.627, all of which miraculously didn’t lead the league.

When Averill ended his time in Cleveland he was the all-time leader in runs scored (1,154), triples (121), home runs (226), extra-base hits (724), total bases (3,201) and bases on balls (726).

RF – Larry Doby, Cleveland Indians (1947-1958)

The first black player in the history of the American League, Larry Doby entered major league baseball with the Cleveland Indians less than three months after Jackie Robinson debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Doby would go on to have one of the best careers in Cleveland baseball history, including being part of the 1948 World Series team.

Over the course of his career in Cleveland, Doby was a seven-time All-Star, including finishing second in the MVP voting during the 1954 season, finishing just 20 points behind Yogi Berra.

Doby led the American League in home runs twice, knocking 32 in both 1952 and 1954. The 1954 campaign also saw him led the league in RBI as well with 126. When his time in Cleveland came to a close he had totaled 776 RBI on 215 home runs over a 10-year span.