Durable and defensively sound, Steve O’Neill played for Cleveland Indians for over a decade, debuting in 1911, and settling in shortly after as one of the top defensive catchers in the American League. 

O’Neill was a wizard behind the plate, but it was not until 1919 that he had his first season with at least 100 Hits, and he kept that up over the next three seasons, with Batting Averages over .3000 from 1920 to 1922.  A member of the 1920 World Series Championship Team, O’Neill finished sixth in MVP voting in 1922, a testament to his overall play.  He remained with the Indians until he was dealt to the Red Sox in 1924.

O’Neill was inducted into the Guardians Hall of Fame in their first class in 1951.

Asdrubal Cabrera signed with the Cleveland Indians as an Amateur Free Agent from Venezuela, and it was with the Tribe that he had his best years. He made the team in 2007, and two years later, he became a full-time starter in the infield. Cabrera's breakout year was in 2011, when he went to his first All-Star Game and had career-highs in Home Runs (25) and RBIs (92), while also winning his first and only Silver Slugger award.

Although Cabrera was an All-Star again in 2012, he entered a journeyman status, but he was still a high-quality acquisition due to his versatile defense and occasional power. He played for Washington, Tampa, New York (NL), Philadelphia, and Washington again, where he played a small role in their first World Series Championship. After brief stays in Arizona and Cincinnati, Cabrera retired with 1,763 hits and 195 home runs.

Al Rosen made his first appearance for the Cleveland Indians in 1947, and this would be the only Major League team he ever played for.

Toby Harrah can make a claim as the greatest baseball player whose last name is a palindrome.

One of the most underrated players in Baseball's history has to be George Uhle, a Pitcher who spent most of his career with the Cleveland Indians and won an even 200 Games.

One of the most popular players in Cleveland Indians' history, Rocco "Rocky" Colavito, came from the Bronx, where naturally, he was a Yankees fan.

Sam McDowell had one of the most unimposing, yet correct nicknames.  When you hear the name "Sudden" Sam, you aren't sure what to think, but what does a "sudden" Pitcher mean?  For McDowell, it is in reference to his rapid delivery and the strong odds that he would strike you out. 

Cliff Lee was known for his methodical pitching style, but it was an effective one.

A Cleveland Indian for his entire career, Mel Harder debuted for the Tribe in 1928, where he was used in relief in his first two seasons when he was on their main roster and not in the minors.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. We have a new one to unveil today, that of the Cleveland Indians.

The origin of the Cleveland Indians begins in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1894, where they played in the Western League.  The franchise relocated in 1900, becoming the Cleveland Lake Shores, and eventually were an inaugural team of the American League, going through multiple name changes (Bluebirds, Broncos, Naps) before becoming the Indians for over a decade.

Cleveland would become a great sports town, but the baseball team has not given them very much to cheer for over the years.  The Indians have only won the World Series twice (1920 and 1948), with three other appearances.  

The team has announced that they will soon drop the Indians nickname, though as of this writing, it is not sure what they will change it to and when precisely it will take place.

Our Top 50 lists in baseball look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2019 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always, we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Bob Feller

2. Nap Lajoie

3. Tris Speaker

4. Lou Boudreau

5. Stan Coveleski

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.  

Look for our more material coming soon!

As always, we thank you for your support.

After a brief time with the Texas Rangers, Travis Hafner was traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he brought a solid power game to the Tribe.

Ray Chapman made his Major League debut in 1912 with Cleveland, and a year later, he was a fixture in the Indians' infield.

Sonny Siebert was a multi-sport athlete as he was not just a coveted baseball player but was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks of the NBA.  Siebert focused on baseball, which proved to be the right move.

The most successful baseball player to be born in The Netherlands (although he was raised in California), Bert Blyleven played five of his 22 seasons in the Majors with the Cleveland Indians.

Charley Jamieson had already played in the Majors for four years before being traded to Cleveland before the 1919 season.  He didn't do much early, but in 1920, he began to see more playing time, and he helped the Indians win the World Series. That would be the only time he was in the playoffs, but his best years were about to occur.

The “Player to be Named Later” doesn’t often amount to much.  Michael Brantley was that player, as he was an eventual throw-in to deal C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee.  It was one hell of an add-on.

Whenever we hear a nickname we love, we have to open with that.  “Slamtana."  How awesome is that?

Luis Tiant is far more known as a member of the Boston Red Sox, but his early work in Baseball with the Cleveland Indians should not be slept on.

An Olympic Gold Medalist in 1988, Charles Nagy debuted in the Majors for the Cleveland Indians in 1990 and remained with them for 13 seasons.

As Baseball spread in Mexico, it was only a matter of time before a Mexican would gain traction in the Majors.  The first such player was Bobby Avila.