All Indians team 1965-2016, position players

The Indians had some great teams in the 1990s. That's evident in the quality of players that are on this team. In retrospect, it's a shame they don't have at least one world championship to show for it. Maybe there will be one soon.

Catcher: Victor Martinez Switch hitting catchers who hit 20 homers, drive in 100 runs while hitting .300 are hard to come by. That was Victor Martinez in his heyday. Martinez's WAR for his years in Cleveland are not as high as you would expect for someone with his bat, but still good enough to nail down this slot. Sandy Alomar Jr. gets mention here by virtue of his longevity. Sandy spent 11 years with the Tribe and had a couple of nice years, but Martinez is the pick.

First base: Jim Thome Jim is one of the numerous easy picks on this team. From 1995-2002 Jim hammered between 25-52 home runs. He also drove in over 100 runs six times during his tenure in Cleveland. His OPS reached ridiculous proportions, peaking at 1.122 in 2002. It was over 1.000 three other times. For his 13 years with the Indians it was .980. While defense wasn't Jim's strength, his WAR for his years in Cleveland was 47.9. Before we move on, a quick acknowledgment of Andre Thornton who had some nice power years before Thome arrived on the scene. Thornton had three 30+ home run seasons with the Tribe.

Second base: Roberto Alomar Jason Kipnis may be the pick here soon and Carlos Baergo had some nice years for the Indians but Alomar is the pick here. I generally pick players who have had at least three years with a team. That's exactly what Alomar had. In his three seasons in Cleveland Roberto put together a WAR of 20.3. He did that by virtue of an OPS of .920 and excellent defensive work. Alomar made numerous stop in his long big league career, but did his best work in Cleveland.

Shortstop: Omar Vizquel Francisco Lindor will be the pick here in the next year or two but for now, it's Omar. In his 11 years in Cleveland, Omar won 10 gold gloves. While possessing little power, Vizquel was a decent offensive player. His OPS during his time with the Indians was .731. Vizquel played 24 years in the majors, but his prime was during his time with the Indians. His WAR with the Indians was 26.8.

Third base: Buddy Bell The Indians had five viable choices for this slot. In addition to Bell, an argument could be made for Craig Nettles, Brook Jacoby, Travis Fryman and Toby Harrah. Bell was more of a glove first guy, while Nettles had a good glove, plus more power. Brook Jacoby also had a nice run and Toby Harrah also had some good years for the Tribe. Bell is my pick, but you may disagree. Overall, these guys generally were good for a WAR of about 3.0 It really depends on how you want to get there.

Left field: Albert Belle Bell was a beast. And I'm not talking about his personality. He led the league in homers with 50 in 1995 and three times led the league in RBIs. The high point for his run production was 148 in 1996. Four times Albert had an OPS off over 1.000. He topped out at 1.152 in 1994. Bell's WAR was somewhat suppressed by his defense, but he still finished up with a WAR of 39.9 in his years with the Indians.

Center field: Kenny Lofton Lofton was a tremendously exciting player in his Cleveland years. Kenny led the league in stolen bases from 1992-96. He also put up an OBP of .375 in his 10 years with the Indians while playing great defense. Lofton's WAR for his 10 years in Cleveland was 48.5. His defensive WAR alone was 12.6. Not only was his defense effective, he had a penchant for the spectacular. Kenny Lofton, a great player and a fun guy to watch.

Right field: Manny Ramirez Before Manny was being Manny in Boston, he was driving in a ton of runs in Cleveland. Ramirez's RBI peak was 165 in 1999. Manny was such a good run producer he was able to drive in more than he allowed in the field. His OPS was .998. It was .999 for his years in Boston. Manny was just one of the best hitters of our time. Indians fans got to enjoy him as he was getting started and into his prime.

Designated hitter: Travis Hafner Though David Justice did some nice work for the Indians as their DH, Travis Hafner is the call here. Hafner had a number of solid seasons and four outstanding ones. In 2006 Travis league the league in slugging with a .659 mark, as well as in OPS with 1.097. Gronk finished his 10 year career with the Indians with an OPS of 890.

In looking back on the last 50 or so years of Indians baseball, they've had some great players on their roster. What are your picks?