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Larry Lambert’s All Cleveland Guardian Team, Position Players
They had some great teams in the 90s.
The Indians had some great teams in the 1990s. That’s evident in the quality of players that are on this team. In retrospect, it’s a shame they don’t have at least one world championship to show for it. Maybe there will be one soon.
Catcher: Victor Martinez
Switch-hitting catchers who hit 20 homers, and drive in 100 runs while hitting .300 are hard to come by. That was Victor Martinez in his heyday. Martinez’s WAR for his years in Cleveland is not as high as you would expect for someone with his bat, but still good enough to nail down this slot. Sandy Alomar Jr. gets a mention here by virtue of his longevity. Sandy spent 11 years with the Tribe and had a couple of nice years, but Martinez is the pick.
First base: Jim Thome
Jim is one of the numerous easy picks on this team. From 1995–2002 Jim hammered between 25–52 home runs. He also drove in over 100 runs six times during his tenure in Cleveland. His OPS reached ridiculous proportions, peaking at 1.122 in 2002. It was over 1.000 three other times. For his 13 years with the Guardians, it was .980. While defense wasn’t Jim’s strength, his WAR for his years in Cleveland was 47.9. Before we move on, a quick acknowledgment of…
