:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/23975411/heritage-park-1.0.jpg)
We've now completed the second quartile of the countdown. As we moved through these 25 profiles, we hit every decade in history, some a bit heavier than others. It was a bit heavy on the hitting, with fourteen players and eleven starting pitchers. We noted a couple of long team contributors, Charles Nagy and Willis Hudlin; a couple early Tribe hurlers that were quite dominant, Jim Bagby, George Uhle, and Vean Gregg; the best designated hitter in history, Travis Hafner; a pair of Hall of Famers in Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar; and the best defensive shortstop in history, Omar Vizquel.
For those who missed the beginning of the series, you can click the red "Top 100 Indians" box at the top of this article to see all the profiles, or click on the Top 100 Indians hub on the front page of the site. Or you can click on the links below:
Please see here and here for the recap of the 25 players profiled in the third and fourth quartiles respectively. Let's briefly recap the last 25 profiles:
50. CF Brett Butler (1984-1987) - The center fielder for the mid-80s teams who arguably was the best player on those teams and most celebrated base stealer to that point in time.
49. RH SP Jim Bagby Sr. (1916-1922) - The best starter on the 1920 World Champion and a workhorse for the late teens' squads.
48. RF Shin-Soo Choo (2006-2012) - Another in a line of thefts from the Mariners, the right fielder who was the main offensive threat in the late 2000's.
47. RH SP Tom Candiotti (1986-1991, 1999) - The knuckleballer who was the mainstay of the late 80's teams. He was one of the more under appreciated starters of his era.
46. RH SP George Uhle (1919-1928, 1936) - This three time 20 game winner who completed almost two thirds of his starts, he was credited as being Babe Ruth's least favorite starter to face. He also is sometimes credited with inventing the slider.
45. DH/1B Andre Thornton (1977-1987) - The "Thunder" came over in one of the more lopsided trades in history and was the only power source on the team for much of his tenure.
44. RH SP Bert Blyleven (1981-1985) [HOF] - The best starter of the AL in 1984, he was best known as the hot-foot expert in his brief stint with the Tribe.
43. RH SP Johnny Allen (1936-1940) - One of the few trades with the Yankees where the Tribe got the best end of the trade, he had one of the most dominant seasons ever in 1937.
42. RH SP Bartolo Colon (1997-2002) - A great ace in his own right, he is usually better known for the bountiful return he brought back in 2002.
41. 3B Toby Harrah (1979-1983) - Buddy Bell's replacement would end up eclipsing him as one of the better hitters on the early 80s squads.
40. RH SP Charles Nagy (1990-2002) - Never flashy, but very durable and dependable, he was a mainstay of the staff for over a decade.
39. LF/RF Jeff Heath (1936-1945) - Another in a long line of successful left fielders who also had an extraordinary temper.
38. LH SP Vean Gregg (1911-1914) - Like a firework rocket, his Indian career was began with a bang and then flamed out. But he had one of the all-time greatest pitching seasons ever in 1911.
37. 3B Ken Keltner (1937-1944, 1946-1949) - A key cog on the 40s teams, he was also a major factor during the 1948 championship run and a seven time All-Star.
36. 2B Roberto Alomar (1999-2001) [HOF] - Sandy's brother was one of the few high profile free agents that was ever signed during his prime. And those three seasons were well worth with the contract.
35. C/1B Victor Martinez (2002-2009) - A converted shortstop, he would go on to become one of the best hitting catchers in team history and a master at hand shakes.
34. RH SP/RP Willis Hudlin (1926-1940) - Another workhorse who was never really an ace, but also part of some very deep rotations in his decade and a half in Cleveland.
33. DH Travis Hafner (2003-2012) - The best designated hitter in Tribe history by far, he was one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball from 2004 to 2006 until a shoulder injury sapped him of his power.
32. RH SP Luis Tiant (1964-1969) - El Tiante was part of the superb 60s rotations and arguably had a better season than Denny McClain in the famed 1968 Year of the Pitcher.
31. RF Rocky Colavito (1955-1959, 1965-1967) - Arguably the most beloved Tribe player ever, he was dealt away at the prime of his career in one of the worst Indians trades ever by Trader Lane.
30. CF Grady Sizemore (2004-2011) - An All-Star by 23, his career was on a Hall of Fame trajectory until injury after injury shut down one of the most promising careers.
29. SS Omar Vizquel (1994-2004) - The best defensive shortstop in history, this eight time Gold Glover was a pretty decent hitter as well, using his speed to assist the powerhouse 90s teams.
28. 3B Bill Bradley (1901-1910) - The first local hero of this Cleveland franchise, he was one of the first power hitters in the Dead Ball Era as well as highly regarded defender at the hot corner when gloves were nothing then glorified pads on your hands.
27. RH SP/PH Wes Ferrell (1927-1933) - The career best hitting pitcher in franchise history (and perhaps in MLB not counting Babe Ruth), also was a superb starter before an arm injury forced him to be dealt.
26. 2B Bobby Avila (1949-1958) - This first Mexican native to star for the Tribe, he won a league batting title and was a key component of the juggernaut 1954 AL champions.