/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48969489/GettyImages-477942656.0.jpg)
It is no coincidence we have saved the best for last when it comes to the infield. Shortstop has seen a lot of very good players throughout the 116 years on the shores of Lake Erie.
Francisco Lindor obviously has not moved into the Top 25 yet with just 98 games, but he should be year's end. For him to climb to the top of the mountain, he will need to average 140 games per year for the next decade.
Sitting atop the list, is the Boy Wonder, Lou Boudreau, the player manager who was the last manger to clinch a Tribe World Series title. Just behind him is the lovable Omar Vizquel, who would have made it to the top had it not been for the 1994 strike. And three great players from the franchise's early years are close behind, Terry Turner, Joe Sewell, and the tragic Ray Chapman.
Three players cracked the millennial mark here, with only third base able to claim the same. And an incredible 14 have surpassed 500 games, one more than third base. Asdrubal Cabrera is the only new addition since 2009 to the Top 25 and he reached number seven before he was traded.
When the last decade wrapped up, just 184 players had appeared at shortstop for the Blues/Bronchos/Naps/Indians. And since the last decade completed, only 14 new faces have played at short.
Here is the full list of new players who made at least one appearance:
Adam Everett, Anderson Hernandez, Brent Lillibridge, Cord Phelps, Drew Sutton, Francisco Lindor, Jack Hannahan, Jason Donald, Jose Ramirez, Juan Diaz, Justin Sellers, Mike Aviles, Orlando Cabrera, Zach Walters.
And onto the top 25:
Player |
Years |
Games Played |
|
1 |
Lou Boudreau |
1939-1950 |
1486 |
2 |
Omar Vizquel |
1994-2004 |
1472 |
3 |
Joe Sewell |
1920-1928 |
1216 |
4 |
Ray Chapman |
1912-1920 |
957 |
5 |
Frank Duffy |
1972-1977 |
797 |
6 |
Asdrubal Cabrera |
2007-2014 |
730 |
7 |
Terry Turner |
1904-11, 13, 17-18 |
721 |
8 |
Jhonny Peralta |
2003-2009 |
706 |
9 |
Julio Franco |
1983-1987 |
704 |
10 |
Larry Brown |
1963-1971 |
680 |
11 |
Felix Fermin |
1989-1993 |
624 |
12 |
Bill Knickerbocker |
1933-1936 |
509 |
13 |
Woodie Held |
1958-1963 |
508 |
14 |
George Strickland |
1952-57, 1959-60 |
507 |
15 |
Ray Boone |
1948-1953 |
460 |
15 |
Tom Veryzer |
1978-1981 |
460 |
17 |
Dick Howser |
1963-1966 |
305 |
18 |
Lyn Lary |
1937-1939 |
299 |
19 |
Chico Carrasquel |
1956-1958 |
295 |
20 |
John Gochnauer |
1901-1902 |
261 |
21 |
Johnny Burnett |
1928-1934 |
247 |
22 |
Jack Heidemann |
1969-1972, 1974 |
230 |
23 |
Ivy Olson |
1911-1912, 1914 |
226 |
24 |
Jerry Dybzinksi |
1980-1982 |
184 |
25 |
Mark Lewis |
1991-1994 |
183 |
With Cabrera joining the list, he has bumped off Ed Montague, a backup infielder from the 1930s. With 23 players with 200 or more games, that puts them at 11.6% of the 198 total. Another 15 players have over a hundred games, leaving 81% with under 100 games. Only 36 players have just a single game at short, including Brook Jacoby, Casey Blake, Larry Doby and Jim Bagby.
Previous entries: