How the Cleveland Indians’ Lineup Dynasty Was Assembled

There’s never really a bad time to “remember some guys,” but with baseball’s return date still up in the air, now seemed like an especially good moment to geek out on some of the best lineups of the past few decades, with a focus on how the groups were assembled. I initially wanted to create a “Top 10 of the Decade” series that would include rankings that were well-balanced between both leagues. But after running the numbers for lineups in the 1990s, I found that the majority of the best lineups were concentrated in the same few teams, mostly led by a core group of hitters performing at an elite level over the course of multiple seasons. The 1998 Houston Astros were the lone National League team that even managed to crack the Top 10 in wOBA, wRC+, or offensive WAR.

Not only did I determine that it would be tricky to rank them relative to each other, it also became clear that one team — the Cleveland Indians — stood out over the rest. Not for one particular season, but for an eight-year run of dominance that began in 1994 and continued into the following decade.

Cleveland’s pitching staffs were typically very good during this period, but the offensive firepower was really something to behold. As I walk you through how these lineups came together, you’ll recognize some Hall of Famers, maybe another future Hall of Famer or two, and a lot of other very good players.

By the time John Hart was promoted to general manager in September 1991, many of the players who would eventually become a core part of the team’s great lineups were either in the minor leagues or just getting their feet wet in the majors. But he certainly had his hand in maintaining the group’s dominance by consistently pulling the right strings when it came to trades and free agency.

Heading into the 1994 season, the Indians were trying to avoid their eighth consecutive losing season. They hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1954, when they lost the World Series in a four-game sweep by the New York Giants. But just as the tides turned for Cleveland in the fictional Major League, which first appeared in movie theaters in 1989, things were about to turn around in real life, too.

While they would fall short during the strike-shortened season — they were 19 games over .500 and one game within the first place Chicago White Sox when the season was called off — the Indians were finally done being a laughingstock around the league. They would go on to win the division in six of the next seven seasons while reaching the World Series in 1995 and 1997. It’s a shame that a team this good could not bring home a championship. A note on the below: overall league rankings are listed in parentheses next to the year. 

1992
HR (10th), Runs (14th), wOBA (11th), wRC+ (15th), Offensive WAR (15th)

A handful of the acquisitions Hart made leading up to the 1994 season helped set the stage for the team’s upcoming success. One of his first moves as general manager was to acquire 24-year-old speedster Kenny Lofton, who was coming off of an unimpressive late-season call-up with the Houston Astros. After a three-hit game in his major league debut on September 14 — he had a pair of singles against starting pitcher Randy Myers and a double off reliever Rob Dibble — Lofton had just 12 singles and four walks over his next 74 plate appearances.

Even with the talented Steve Finley entrenched as the Astros’ center fielder, it’s baffling why the team opted to trade Lofton — who had a .367 OBP with 17 triples and 40 stolen bases in Triple-A — for a pair of unproven and unspectacular young players, catcher Eddie Taubensee and pitcher Willie Blair. It could be the Astros just really needed a catcher — emerging superstar Craig Biggio was on his way to second base after spending his first few big league seasons behind the dish — and Taubensee, coming off of a strong Triple-A season, appeared to be their choice to replace him. As a consequence, the Indians landed their catalyst for seven of those eight aforementioned winning seasons.

A few months later, Hart once again went the trade route to land a young player who was in need of an opportunity. With few at-bats available behind Kent Hrbek and Chili Davis on a talented Minnesota Twins’ team, 26-year-old Paul Sorrento was finally going to get his shot once he was acquired for pitchers Curt Leskanic and Oscar Munoz in March 1992.

With Lofton and Sorrento in the fold, Albert Belle quickly proving to be a force in the middle of the lineup, and the prospects acquired in the Joe Carter trade from years earlier beginning to pay dividends — Sandy Alomar Jr. was Rookie of the Year in 1990 and an All-Star in his first three big league seasons; Carlos Baerga made his first All-Star team in 1992 — the Indians appeared to be headed in the right direction

1993
HR (16th), Runs (7th), wOBA (10th), wRC+ (11th), Offensive WAR (11th)

In what would be team’s final losing season for a long time, third base prospect Jim Thome, who had a .615 OPS with three homers in 235 plate appearances over the previous two seasons, would finally prove that he was ready to deliver. He was handed the starting job in mid-August and would become a mainstay in the middle of the Indians’ lineup for the next nine seasons.

A few weeks later, 21-year-old outfielder Manny Ramirez would quietly enter the picture with an 0-for-4 debut on September 2. He homered twice the next day at Yankees Stadium, but would manage only six singles in 47 plate appearances the rest of the way. Fortunately, unlike what the Astros did with Lofton, Hart did not trade Ramirez after he struggled in his late-season debut.

1994
HR (1st), Runs (1st), wOBA (2nd), wRC+ (3rd), Offensive WAR (3rd)

The young Indians’ lineup was on the rise with just a few more pieces to add to complete the puzzle. Future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray would soon prove that he brought a lot more to the table than just experience and veteran leadership when he signed as a free agent prior to the 1994 season. The 37-year-old, who came to Cleveland with 2,820 hits and 441 homers, would add another 435 hits, 63 homers, and one more big season to his resume before he called it a career.

On December 20, 1993, the Indians acquired Omar Vizquel, a light-hitting shortstop with one Gold Glove under his belt, for Felix Fermin, Reggie Jefferson, and cash. By the time he left the Indians 11 years later, Vizquel had a total of nine Gold Gloves and was considered one of the best defensive shortstops of all-time. And while he never became an elite offensive player, he proved to be so much more than a light-hitting, all-glove shortstop.

1995
HR (1st), Runs (1st), wOBA (1st), wRC+ (1st), Offensive WAR (1st)

The über-talented Montreal Expos missing out on a chance to win the World Series and Tony Gwynn not getting an opportunity to hit .400 are the two biggest “what-if’s” of the strike-shortened 1994 season. But the Cleveland Indians should not be overlooked. They were an up-and-coming team filled with young talent. It could’ve easily been them in the World Series. Only the strike could slow them down.

As a result of the strike, no major changes were considered necessary heading into the 1995 season, at least as far as the lineup was concerned. Starting pitcher Orel Hershiser, signed a few weeks prior to Opening Day, ended up being another brilliant move by Hart. And it wasn’t a bad choice by Hershiser, either. He would win 45 regular season games and four postseason games with the team over his ages 36-38 season.

1996
HR (6th), Runs (3rd), wOBA (1st-T), wRC+ (2nd), Offensive WAR (1st)

After losing to the Atlanta Braves in six games, the World Series runner-up would again take the approach of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Aside from the signing of another free agent starting pitcher, Jack McDowell, it was another quiet offseason in Cleveland. With Sorrento departing as a free agent and Murray heading into his age-40 season, the team did add some protection by signing a “younger” first base/designated hitter option in 37-year-old Julio Franco.

Little did anyone know, aside from maybe Franco, that his playing career would not end for more than another decade. His addition proved to be a smart one, as Murray could not replicate his production from the previous season. Brian Giles‘ arrival in the majors also helped to offset Murray’s decline; he would become a lineup regular in the second half.

1997
HR (3rd), Runs (4th), wOBA (3rd), wRC+ (2nd), Offensive WAR (2nd)

After a few years of mostly standing pat, it was apparent that change was finally coming. In fact, it had already begun when Baerga was traded to the New York Mets during the ’96 season for young infielders Jeff Kent and Jose Vizcaino.

Belle was set to get paid as a free agent — he became the highest paid player in the game at the time he signed his five-year, $55 million deal with the White Sox — and Hart would replace him in one of the more controversial moves of his tenure. He traded away one of his own stars, Lofton, to the Braves for outfielders David Justice and Marquis Grissom.

Replacing Baerga at second base would be veteran Tony Fernandez, who signed as a free agent after missing the previous season due to an elbow injury. With Thome now across the diamond as the team’s first baseman, Hart sent Kent and Vizcaino to the San Francisco Giants in a deal for third baseman Matt Williams. While this yielded a terrific short-term payoff for the Indians, Kent was about to begin a long run as one of the best-hitting second baseman in the game.

In retrospect, the trade for Justice and Grissom worked out fine. The Indians went to the World Series again, after all. And even though Grissom wasn’t nearly as good as Lofton in ’97, Justice’s numbers were superior to Belle’s. Plus, it turned out that soon-to-be free agent Lofton had not closed the door on a return to Cleveland.

1998
HR (10th), Runs (7th), wOBA (6th-T), wRC+ (10th-T), Offensive WAR (11th)

The return of Lofton, who signed a three-year, $24 million deal on December 8, 1997, nearly six years to the day he was first acquired by the Indians, was the highlight of the team’s offseason. Dwight “Doc” Gooden also signed as a free agent on the same day, although he had very little left in the tank at age 33.

Williams’ one-year stint with the team ended when he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Travis Fryman, who would spend the next five seasons with Cleveland before calling it quits. He had been involved in another trade just two weeks earlier when the Tigers traded him to Arizona for Joe Randa and two other players. While he only played for the Tigers and Indians during his 13-year career, he was officially a member of the Diamondbacks for a short period of time.

Richie Sexson, a 6-foot-7 power-hitter, would get a long look late in the season, while future Reds manager David Bell also contributed to the team before he was traded for Joey Cora on August 31.

1999
HR (8th-T), Runs (1st), wOBA (1st), wRC+ (1st), Offensive WAR (1st)

Once again, Hart made a December splash when he signed another future Hall of Famer, Roberto Alomar, to a multi-year contract. It proved to be great timing, as Alomar gave the Indians the last three great seasons he had left in him.

Hart did make a rare blunder during this offseason, however. He traded Giles to the Pittsburgh Pirates straight up for lefty reliever Ricardo Rincon. While the move opened up playing time for Sexson, who had 31 homers, Giles was about to break out with four consecutive MVP-caliber seasons. Rincon was a good relief pitcher and certainly contributed to the Indians’ success for a few years, but it still had to be one of the more regrettable trades of Hart’s career.

2000
HR (7th), Runs (3rd), wOBA (1st), wRC+ (2nd-T), Offensive WAR (2nd)

One of the team’s more uneventful offseasons in years, Hart stuck with his tradition of adding a veteran starting pitcher — Chuck Finley signed with the team after spending the previous 14 seasons with the Angels — while yet another prospect with light tower power, Russell “the Muscle” Branyan, appeared ready to burst onto the scene.

Unlike other homegrown players like Belle, Ramirez, and Thome, who would become stars in Cleveland, or Giles and Sexson, who would go on to put up big numbers with other organizations, Branyan’s career trajectory was unique. Despite his talent, he was never able to secure regular plate appearances or even a regular job as a bench player. The power was ridiculous, though. At a time when balls that appeared to be absolutely crushed would die on the warning track at San Diego’s Petco Park, I saw Branyan hit one further than I’ve still ever seen hit there.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because he probably did the same thing for your favorite team, too. That’s because he ended up playing for 11 major league organizations in total, including the Mariners and Brewers twice. He also had four stints with the Indians, the last being a late-season minor league deal in 2014. Sure, he’s no Edwin Jackson, but he’s a certainly a “well-traveled” ballplayer.

A notable in-season trade worth mentioning is the one that sent Justice to the Yankees for three minor league prospects. One of those prospects, Jake Westbrook, ended up being part of a three-team trade between the Indians, Cardinals, and Padres more than nine years later. The prospect acquired by the Indians in that deal was Corey Kluber.

2001
HR (5th), Runs (3rd), wOBA (3rd-T), wRC+ (2nd), Offensive WAR (2nd)

With Hart knowing that this might be his last hurrah with the Indians — he did, in fact, announce early in the 2001 season that it would be his last as the team’s general manager — he signed a trio of veterans to counter the loss of free agent Ramirez, who would go on to sign an eight-year, $160 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. Unsurprisingly, Hart hit on all three of his acquisitions. Ellis Burks continued to rake in his mid-30s, Juan Gonzalez was fifth in AL MVP voting, and Marty Cordova’s lone season with the Tribe was probably the best of his career.

2002
HR (7th), Runs (15th), wOBA (20th-T), wRC+ (16th), Offensive WAR (17th)

Just as the timing always seemed to be right with his player acquisitions, Hart stepped away from the Indians at the perfect moment. The last Indians team he assembled won another division title before losing in the ALDS to a Mariners team that won 116 games during the regular season. Many of their best players were approaching free agency and there wasn’t much help on the way from the farm system. The writing was on the wall. It was time to hand things over to someone else and move on.

As you can see below from the first post-Hart lineup, things got ugly pretty quickly. To new general manager Mark Shapiro’s credit, he had the team back above .500 by 2005 when they won 93 games, and back in the playoffs after a 96-win season in 2007. But it would be another decade before the Indians would put a team on the field that even resembled those from 1994-2001.