Cleveland Indians Top Ten: Omar, Manny and Mr. Smile

Before Mr. Smile took over shortstop in Cleveland and before Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar teamed up to give Cleveland one of the game’s smoothest-fielding double-play combinations ever, Cleveland was the home of several notable Latino firsts.

On April 19, 1949, Orestes Miñoso pinch-hit for pitcher Mike García. After drawing a walk, Miñoso was replaced in the next half-inning by Satchel Paige. The Cuba native thus bridged baseball’s segregated and integrated eras. With his appearance Miñoso became the first black Latino to officially play in Major League Baseball. Notably, the Cuban Miñoso replaced a fellow Latino—García was a Mexican American from California. Just as noteworthy, Miñoso’s replacement was Paige, the first African American pitcher in the majors.

There were other firsts. In 1954, Roberto “Bobby” Avila became the first Latino batting champion with a .341 average. The second baseman known as “Beto” back in Mexico would set other firsts, such as the first Mexican to be selected to an All-Star Game in 1952.

So which of these pioneers or perennial All Stars were able to claim a spot on Cleveland’s Latino Top 10? In order to come up with the franchise Latino Top 10 ranking we kept it simple by using WAR (as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com) as our metric of choice. And while this is one measure of the impact of these players, you might have your own opinion as to who deserves to higher (or lower) on that team’s Top 10.

Surprised someone is higher or lower than expected? Is there another Latino missing from the list? Let us know of what you think of the rankings by commenting below.

Cleveland Indians Top Ten

1. Mike García

12 years in Cleveland, 31.0 WAR, three-time All-Star
US

Given the rich history of the Indians franchise, this might be a surprising name for some to find at the top of the list. García made his debut in 1948 and joined the Indians full time in 1949, finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting after leading the league with a 2.36 ERA. He was 14-5 as a rookie. Over 12 years with the Tribe, García appeared in 397 games (281 starts). He finished his Cleveland career with a 142-96 record with 111 complete games. García struck out 1,095 batters in 2,138 innings and twice led the league in ERA (1949, 1954).

2. Omar Vizquel

11 years in Cleveland, 30.2 WAR, three-time All-Star, eight Gold Glove Awards
Venezuela

Arguably the finest defensive shortstop of the 1990s and 2000s, Vizquel was traded to the Indians after the 1993 season for Felix Fermin, Reggie Jefferson and cash. He would win a Gold Glove Award in each of the first eight seasons he was in Cleveland and appear in his first All-Star Game as a 31-year-old in 1998. Vizquel appeared in 1,478 games with Cleveland and slashed .283/.352/.379 with 279 stolen bases, 584 RBI and 906 runs scored.

3. Manny Ramírez

Eight years in Cleveland, 30.0 WAR, four-time All-Star, three Silver Sluggers
Dominican Republic

After the Chicago Cubs drafted Doug Glanville 12the overall, the Cleveland Indians selected a third baseman from George Washington High School in New York City named Manny Ramírez with the 13th pick in the 1991 MLB Draft. Manny would join the Indians in 1993 and would continue to be Manny in the majors for 19 years. During his eight years in Cleveland Ramírez would lead the league in RBI once (165 in 1999). When he left after the 2000 season, Ramírez was established as one of the most dominant right-handed hitters in the game. In 967 games with Cleveland, Ramírez slashed .313/.407/.594 with 236 home runs, 804 RBI and 665 runs scored.

4. Bobby Avila

10 years in Cleveland, 27.9 WAR, three-time All-Star
Mexico

Avila didn’t debut in Cleveland until he was 25, but he earned a spot in the lineup as a good bat and solid infielder. He made his first All-Star Game in 1952 when he led the league with 11 triples, and would lead the league with a .341 batting average in 1954. Avila appeared in 1,207 games with Cleveland, posting a .284 average with 688 runs scored and more walks (527) than strikeouts (352).

5. Luis Tiant

Six years in Cleveland, 26.3 WAR, one All-Star Game
Cuba

We have chronicled the remarkably dominant 1968 season Tiant put together for the Indians in which he led the league with a 1.60 ERA and nine shutouts. He won 21 games that year and finished fifth in MVP voting, throwing 288 1/3 innings. Tiant threw exactly 1,200 innings in the Cleveland portion of his career, striking out 1,041 with 21 shutouts and 75 victories.

6. Carlos Santana

Eight years in Cleveland, 24.3 WAR
Dominican Republic

In one of the better trades made by Cleveland in the last 10 years, the Indians acquired Santana from the Dodgers in the trade that sent Casey Blake to LA at the deadline in 2008. He joined the Indians in 2010 and would be a big part of their lineup until this year. Santana appeared in 1,116 games with the Indians and slashed .249/.365/.445 with 174 home runs and 587 RBI.

7. Bartolo Colon

Six years in Cleveland, 22.8 WAR, one All-Star Game
Dominican Republic

Some perspective: Lindor was born in November of 1993. Colon made his debut for the Indians on April 4, 1997 – and Colon is still actively playing. He began his remarkable career with a strong run in Cleveland; the five-plus seasons he spent with the Indians is still the longest time Colon has spent with a single franchise. He appeared in his first All-Star Game in 1998 and won 18 games in 1999. Colon’s time in Cleveland might be remembered as much for how he left as it is for his brilliance on the mound. He was traded to Montreal on June 27, 2002 in an infamous deal that brought Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and Lee Stevens to the Indians.

8. Francisco Lindor

Four years in Cleveland, 22.7 WAR, three-time All-Star, one Gold Glove, one Silver Slugger
Puerto Rico

Lindor is the first active player on this list and, at only 24, could climb to the top quickly. He led the Indians to the World series in 2016 as a 22-year-old and established himself as a superstar the following season, hitting 33 home runs and driving in 89 runs. Lindor already has three All-Star Game appearances under his belt and emerged as a hero when he hit a game-changing home run against the Twins in Puerto Rico earlier this season.

9. José Ramírez

Six years in Cleveland, 21.7 WAR, two-time All-Star, one Silver Slugger
Dominican Republic

Ramírez appeared in 15 games as a 20-year-old in 2013 and started to emerge as a bat the Indians couldn’t afford to keep out of the lineup – even if they didn’t have a regular position for him. Ramírez became an important part of the Indians’ success in 2016 and emerged as an MVP candidate in 2017 when he led the league with 56 doubles and finished third in AL MVP voting. He is once again in the mix for MVP consideration this season and, with Lindor, had led the Indians to the top of the Central Division.

10. Roberto Alomar

Three years in Cleveland, 20.3 WAR, three-time All-Star, three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers
Puerto Rico

The future Hall of Famer signed with Cleveland before the 1999 season and had three dynamic seasons with the Indians, leading the league with 138 runs scored in his first season in Cleveland. In 471 games in Cleveland, Alomar would score 362 runs, steal 106 bases and hit 63 home runs. He finished in the top five of MVP voting in two of his three years in Cleveland. Alomar would not appear in another All-Star Game after leaving the Indians after the 2001 season. He also appeared in the top ten for the Blue Jays and Padres.

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Featured Image: Jason Miller / Getty Images Sport

Inset Image: Ralph Morse / The LIFE Picture Collection