Top 10 Cleveland Indians Power Hitting Seasons

There’s nothing more exciting in baseball than the home run and while the Indians haven’t had many true power hitters in franchise history, those they have had have been prodigious. While the top six single season home run totals have come since 1995, the modern era doesn’t hold a monopoly on power and the following list features players from throughout Indians history.

As with the other top ten lists coming out this off-season, each season was only eligible for one category (speed, overall prowess or power), so if a great season is missing, it may have already been featured.

10. Hal Trosky – 1B – 1934

As mentioned in the intro, the Indians have had only a handful of players to be truly prodigious power hitters and the first in franchise history was Trosky. From 1934 through 1940, he averaged 29 home runs and 38 doubles per season and in just his first full season (1934) he destroyed the previous franchise record for home runs in a single season that Earl Averill had set just three years before. This new record wouldn’t last long, however, as he would break his own record again in 1936.

9. Al Rosen – 3B – 1953

The Indians most recent MVP winner is the only player in the top ten not to play 1B or a corner outfield position when in the field and the only player to be featured from the years between 1936 and 1994. A more well rounded hitter than most, Rosen batted .336 and knocked in 145 as one of two dependable hitters on the team along with Larry Doby. His 145 were second most in franchise history when he accomplished the feat and remain fourth as of 2016 and his 43 home runs set a new franchise record that would last until 1995.

8. Albert Belle – LF – 1994

One of the greatest “what ifs” in Indians history is what would have happened if Major League Baseball had finished out the 1994 season. In addition to Belle being on pace for 52 home runs and 144 RBI, and Kenny Lofton being on pace for 86 steals, the Indians and Expos seemed to be poised to face off in the World Series, potentially breaking two of the longest standing droughts. Instead, the season ended after just 113 games and we were left wondering. As it stands, this year by Belle was still one of the greatest in franchise history, but the lack of games and unknown of whether he could have continued his torrid pace keeps him in the bottom half of the top ten.

7. Jim Thome – 1B – 2002

The current Indians home run record is held by Thome’s 2002 season, but that wasn’t enough to get him to the top of this list. His .304 average was the lowest in the top ten leading to his .373 ISO, second in Indianns history to the number one entry on this list. Surrounded by a less than impressive lineup, Thome still managed 118 RBI despite being worked around more often than not to the tune of 122 walks.

6. Travis Hafner – DH – 2006

The Indians most recent pure power hitter, Hafner averaged 22 home runs and 27 doubles per season from 2003 through 2010 before his career was cut short thanks to injury. He dealt with injuries in 2006, but despite playing in just 129 games, he still hit 42 home runs and 31 doubles. He lead the league in slugging percent and OPS and finished 8th in MVP voting a year after finishing fifth with similar numbers.

5. Albert Belle – LF – 1996

Belle’s peak years with the Indians lasted only from 1991 through 1996, but he is the only player with three entries in the top ten and remains, along with Thome and Ramirez, one of the Indians top three power hitters ever. In his final season before hitting free agency, Belle hit 48 home runs and finally surpassed Averill’s career home run mark of 226, ending the season with 242. Combined with his 38 doubles, his 48 home runs lead him to the fourth most extra base hits in a single season (now fifth since being surpassed by Grady Sizemore in 2006), behind only himself and Trosky.

4. Manny Ramirez – RF – 2000

Like Hafner’s 2006 and Belle’s 1994, Ramirez’s lack of games played in 2000 hurt him, but he still managed to average more runs knocked in than games played as he hit an incredible 38 home runs in 118 games and slugged near .700. In a game for game comparison, this would be a top three season with the number one on this list and Belle’s ’94, but a lack of games played diminishes the value of his incredible slash line.

3. Manny Ramirez – RF – 1999

Ramirez set the current franchise mark for RBI in 1999 and hit .333 with 44 home runs while doing so. While not quite the averages he would put up the next year or as good as his 2004 season in Boston, it was easily his best as an Indian and deserving of the AL MVP that year. He finished third in voting despite being first in the AL in OPS, slugging, RBI and second in WAR (among position players) to his teammate, Roberto Alomar.

2. Hal Trosky – 1B -1936

The RBI total that Ramirez surpassed in 1999 was created by Trosky in 1936 and had stool for 62 seasons. The home run record that Rosen broke in 1953 was also created by Trosky in 1936. At the same time, Trosky hit 45 doubles with 216 total hits for a .343 average. In what was straight thievery, Trosky finished 10th in the MVP voting for what could easily be considered the greatest single season in Indians history. It was not, however, the best season when focusing solely on power.

1. Albert Belle – LF – 1995

While the records referenced in this top ten are generally franchise ones, Belle set an all MLB mark in 1995 when he hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a season for the first time ever. The Indians played just 144 games in 1995, but Belle played in 143 of those to make this year a fair comparison to normal full seasons. The 50 home runs broke Rosen’s team record although he would later be surpassed by Thome in 2002. His 103 extra base hits remain the Indians record as does his .690 slugging percent. Since George Burns set the team record with 64 doubles in 1926, only two Indians hitters have hit at least 50; Belle in 1995 and Sizemore in 2006 (#7 on the speed list).

All things considered (era, lineup around him, etc), Trosky may have had the better overall season in 1936, but Belle’s prodigious power in 1995 should never be forgotten and will be an extremely hard mark for anyone in the future to surpass. Despite being greater statistically in every single stat down the line except steals, Mo Vaughn inexplicably won the 1995 AL MVP while Belle came in second.

Borderline: Earl Averill (1936), David Justice (1997), Tris Speaker (1923), Ed Morgan (1930) & Rocky Colavito (1958)