'90s greats among Indians 2016 Hall of Fame class
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians will induct four franchise legends into the club's Hall of Fame in a ceremony on July 30 at Progressive Field.
Jim Thome, the Indians all-time home run king; Albert Belle, still the only 50-50 man in baseball history; Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager in baseball history; and Charlie Jamieson, who hit .316 over 14 seasons with the Indians and was a member of the 1920 World Series team, will be inducted before the Indians game against the Oakland A's. A Jim Thome HOF Bobblehead, courtesy of Medical Mutual, will be distributed to 15,000 fans that evening.
Thome will appear tonight at Aloft Cleveland Downtown at the club's annual Season Ticket Holder VIP event as part of Tribe Fest. Thome will be available to the media at 5:15PM at Aloft.
The quartet's induction now makes the Indians Hall of Fame 44 members strong after Omar Vizquel's induction in 2014.
"These are four of the all-time great players in our franchise's storied history, and through their individual personalities and achievements, each has created his own special memories for generations of Indians fans," said Indians Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Bob DiBiasio. "We're excited to officially recognize their contributions to our franchise and the game of baseball by inducting them into the Indians Hall of Fame."
Thome played 13 seasons in all for the Indians, and his 337 homers and 1,008 walks in a Tribe uniform are the most in club history. He was a three-time All-Star as a member of the Indians, and four times finished in the top 10 in American League MVP voting.
He ranks second in club history in RBI (937), third in on-base percentage (.414), slugging percentage (.592) and OPS (.980), and 10th in doubles (263). Thome is first-time eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Belle, too, was one of the most feared hitters in baseball during his prime; he hit 50 homers and 52 doubles in 1995, and remains the only Major League player in history to accomplish that feat. He was a four-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner with the Tribe, and three times finished in the top three in AL MVP voting.
He ranks second in club history in homers, with 242, second in slugging percentage (.580), fifth in OPS (.949) and 10th in RBI (751).
Robinson played the final three years of his stellar career in Cleveland, but is far better remembered for being a pioneer: He became the first African-American manager in baseball history, and served as player-manager from 1975-1976.
After hitting 586 career homers for five teams, Robinson managed the Indians for parts of three seasons, and eventually managed four teams. He won 1,065 games over 16 seasons, and was the 1989 AL Manager of the Year.
Jamieson played the final 14 years of his career (12 full seasons) with the Indians, hitting .316 and scoring 942 runs over those seasons. He also was a member of the 1920 World Series champions.
He ranks fifth in club history in hits (1,753), seventh in doubles (296), ninth in average and walks (627), 10th in triples (74) and 11th in on-base percentage (.388).
(Cleveland Indians press release)
