Righty swinging 3B Brook Jacoby came to the Indians as part of the return for Len Barker when the Indians traded him to the Braves. Jacoby had a really odd year for the Indians in 1987. He played in 155 games for the Indians and he was 162 for 540 (.300 avg, .928 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 32 homers, 69 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Jacoby also flashed a good eye at the plate as he walked 75 times while only whiffing 73 times in 1987. The 69 RBIs just don’t add up with a .300 batting with 32 homers! Jacoby played 9 years for the Cleveland Indians, appearing in 1,240 games in which he was 1,178 for 4,314 (.273 avg, .750 OPS) with 521 runs scored, 120 homers, 524 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Jacoby made it to 2 All-Star teams while with the Indians, but that was because they had to pick a player from Cleveland, more than for what he did.

When righty reliever Jose Mesa got to Cleveland he was a starter. That wasn’t working out too well for Mesa or the Indians, so they decided to make him a short reliever which really paid off. In 1995, Mesa was the best reliever on the planet. He pitched in 62 games (0 starts) for the Indians that season and he was 3-0 with 46 saves (led the majors), a 1.13 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He only gave up 49 hits while whiffing 58 batters in 64 innings pitched. Mesa pitched in 341 games (48 starts) in his 7 years with the Tribe and he was 33-36 with 104 saves, a 3.88 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Mesa is still #3 in Indians’ history with his 104 saves.

The Cleveland Indians were pretty awful from 1986-1991, but righty knuckleballer Tom Candiotti was pretty solid for them. He busted onto the scene for the Indians in 1986, when he pitched in 36 games (34 starts) for the Tribe and he was 16-12 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Candiotti had 17 complete games and 3 shutouts in 1986 as he was a workhorse for the Indians. In his 7 years with the Indians, Candiotti pitched in 183 games (174 starts) in which he was 73-66 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. I remember really feeling like the Indians, no matter how bad they were, had a chance to win whenever Candiotti was on the pitcher’s mound.

59-year old starting picher Bert Blyleven had to wait until his 14th year on the ballot to get into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Blyleven pitched for the Cleveland Indians for five years from 1981-1985. He pitched in 104 games (103 starts) for the Indians and he was 48-37 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He made the All-Star team for the Indians in 1985. Blyleven pitched for the Indians when they were a pretty bad baseball team and that likely cost him quite a few wins. Blyleven pitched in 692 games (685 starts) in his 22 years in the majors and he was 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Blyleven waited a long time to get into the Hall of Fame but he richly deserved it.

42-year old 2B Roberto Alomar has been elected into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Alomar played 3 seasons for the Cleveland Indians from 1999-2001. Alomar played in 471 games in his three years with the Indians and he was 564 of 1,748 (.323 avg, .920 OPS) with 362 runs scored, 63 homers, 309 RBIs and 106 stolen bases. Alomar went to the A.L. All-Star team all three years with the Cleveland Indians. He also won 3 Gold Gloves and 2 Silver Slugger Awards with the Tribe. Overall, Alomar played in 2,379 games in his 17 years in the majors and he was 2,724 of 9,073 (.300 avg, .814 OPS) with 1,508 runs scored, 210 homers, 1,134 RBIs and 474 stolen bases. To me, Roberto Alomar’s best years were with the Cleveland Indians even though he is entering the Hall of Fame as a Toronto Blue Jay.