Who is in the Cleveland All-Time WAR lineup?

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Have you ever wondered what a lineup would look like featuring Cleveland's All-Time WAR leaders at each position? Wonder no more. The following are the WAR leaders at each position in the history of Cleveland baseball.

One minor note first

A lot of times lists like this make exceptions to fit more attractive or familiar players into the list. That particular exception will not be used, as that player will have to primarily play that position in order to be classified as the leader here.

Noteworthy omissions

Some players will be omitted, but this is simply due to others accumulating more WAR while in a Cleveland uniform. Good players in their own right, some of which are in the Top-10 of the franchise's WAR leaders, but were edged out by others who accumulated more during their time in Cleveland.

Earl Averill: 51.3

Kenny Lofton: 48.6

Larry Doby: 43.1

Manny Ramirez: 30

Carlos Santana: 29.8

Francisco Lindor: 28.1

Grady Sizemore: 27.1

Infielders

First Base: Jim Thome 48.0 WAR

This seems pretty obvious as Jim Thome's WAR total in Cleveland is sixth all-time among hitters in team history. The long time first baseman appeared in 1,399 games in Cleveland, hitting 337 home runs with a .980 OPS with back-to-back seventh place American League MVP finishes in his final two years with the team.

Second Base: Nap Lajoie 79.6 WAR

The former namesake of the team and all-time WAR leader, Nap Lajoie, would be at second. From 1902 to 1914, Lajoie had over 2,000 hits, 400 doubles, and a near .340 batting average. Lajoie led all of baseball in hits and doubles in 1904 (208, 49), 1906 (214, 48), and 1910 (227, 51) with Cleveland.

Third Base: Jose Ramirez 42.4 WAR

There is still a lot of time left in the career of Jose Ramirez, but he is already the Guardians' franchise leader in WAR for a third-baseman. A few more years of Ramirez performing at a level receiving MVP votes should see him catapult into the Top-5 all-time.

Shorstop: Lou Boudreau 61.8 WAR

Third in team history and leading all shortstops is Lou Boudreau. From 1938 to 1950 Boudreau was manning shortstop, leading all of baseball with 45 doubles twice (1941, 1947) and the American League in 1944 with 45. Boudreau had many Top-10 MVP finishes, including being named American League MVP in 1948 en route to Cleveland's last World Series title.

Outfielders

Left Field: Albert Belle 27.4 WAR

The only player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season, Albert Belle leads the way for Cleveland left fielders. Belle totaled just over 1,000 hits with nearly one quarter being home runs and is 27th among all Cleveland hitters in WAR. Four straight Top-10 American League MVP finishes, including three consecutive Top-3 appearances, were crucial to Cleveland's mid-90's success.

Center Field: Tris Speaker 74.9 WAR

Second all-time among Cleveland hitters and taking his place in center field is Tris Speaker. Speaker was patroling center field in Cleveland from 1916 to 1926, winning a batting title (.386) in his first season to go with his league-leading 211 hits. While Speaker did not get any MVP consideration during his time in Cleveland, he did lead all of baseball in doubles in 1918 and from 1920-1923.

Right Field: Shoeless Joe Jackson 34.9 WAR

Before "Shoeless" Joe Jackson found himself blacklisted due to the Black Sox Scandal, he spent six seasons in Cleveland hitting a modest .375. Jackson finished in the Top-10 of MVP voting in four consecutive seasons with three of those being in the Top-5. Jackson was baseball's hits leader in 1912 (226) and 1913 (197) while hitting a casual .385 over that span.

Catcher: Steve O'Neil 24.7 WAR

While not the highest total of anyone who played catcher in Clevleand, Steve O'Neill played catcher nearly exclusively (one game at first) which is why he gets the nod over Carlos Santana here. O'Neill spent 13 years as Cleveland's backstop from 1911 until 1923. A .311/.423/.416 slash line in 1922 saw a 30-year old O'Neill finish sixth in MVP voting.

Designated Hitter: Travis Hafner 25.0 WAR

Who else but Pronk? Travis Hafner moonlighted at first, but was more often than not finding himself in the DH spot in the lineup. Between 2004 and 2007 Hafner was an absolute force at the plate, hitting just under .300 while hitting 127 home runs in the process. Hafner finished fifth in MVP voting for the 2005 season and eighth in 2006, a year which he led the league in slugging (.659) and OPS (1.097).

Starting Pitcher: Bob Feller 65.2 WAR

One of the more obvious appearances here is the "Heater from Van Meter" Bob Feller. Even after missing three seasons from 1942-1944 due to military service, Feller is still the franchise's all-time leading starter pitcher in WAR and third overall. The impressive part here is that Feller's military service came right after three consecutive appearances in the Top-3 of American League MVP voting. Feller picked up where left off upon his return, leading all of baseball in strikeouts from 1946-1948.