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Can Jim Thome Help Lead the Cleveland Indians Back to the Playoffs?

*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2011. 

Like Kenny Lofton four years ago, Jim Thome returns to Cleveland to help the team end a playoff drought.

The Cleveland Indians have gone three straight seasons without qualifying for the postseason.  Despite making trades for outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, the Indians now have lost seven of their last ten games.  Borrowing from a tactic they used four years ago, the team is bringing back a team legend: Jim Thome.  Thome returns midseason in a fashion similar to fellow fan favorite Kenny Lofton, with whom he starred over a decade ago. 

Cleveland Indians: Championship Contenders 1995-2001

From 1995 to 2001, the Cleveland Indians were regular participants in the pennant race.  Lofton starred as the team’s leadoff hitter and Gold Glove centerfielder.  Meanwhile, Thome emerged as a middle of the order hitter and moved from playing third base to playing first base.  The pair helped shape the team into contenders for the world championship.  In 1995, Cleveland marched to the best record in baseball at 100-44, falling to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. 

As trades constantly reshaped the Indians’ roster, Lofton spent a one-year hiatus away from the team in Atlanta before returning to Cleveland in 1998.  While Lofton experienced his first full season in the National League, Thome experienced his first full season as a starting first baseman.  Despite a modest record of 86-75, Cleveland again won the American League Central Division and came within one out of winning the 1997 World Series against the Florida Marlins.  En route to winning the pennant, Thome led the team with his first 40-home run season. 

The Legacy of Team Legends: Kenny Lofton & Jim Thome

As the team failed to return to the World Series in the following years, Lofton and Thome eventually left the team via free agency.  However, they both left lasting marks on the franchise.

Having returned again in 2007, Lofton retired as the franchise leader in stolen bases with 452, 3rd in runs scored, 9th in hits, and 11th in walks.  He led the league in stolen bases for five straight seasons (1992-1996) and led the league in hits in 1994.  In earning six All-Star nominations, Lofton won four straight Gold Glove awards.  He may not be considered a Hall of Fame candidate, but Lofton’s impact as a talented leadoff hitter and young, rising star helped change the economics of long-term baseball contracts.      

Meanwhile, Thome left town as the Indians’ all-time leader in home runs with 334 and walks with 997.  Thome also was 2nd in runs batted in, 3rd in on-base percentage, 3rd in slugging percentage, 3rd in on-base plus slugging percentage, 5th in runs scored, and 12th in hits.  Thome followed up his 1996 Silver Slugger award with five All-Star nominations between 1997 and 2006.  After reaching 600 career home runs in 2011, Thome has greatly strengthened his case for the Hall of Fame. 

Kenny Lofton & Jim Thome Return to the Cleveland Indians

In 2007, the Indians were a young team looking to find their way back to the playoffs.  The rebuilding efforts that had started slowly in 2002 were finally coming to fruition.  Pitchers CC Sabathia and Jake Westbrook had become the leaders of the pitching staff, while position players Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Victor Martinez took over as key parts of the batting order.  Yet, the Indians needed additional veteran leadership to complement their core group and solidify their return to the playoffs.  Lofton—who was once young and flashy—returned as a much more reserved presence in the clubhouse.  Now playing in left field, Lofton’s savvy, calmness, and familiarity with winning proved to be the right fit for the team.  The Indians came within one game of defeating the Boston Red Sox for the American League pennant. 

In 2011, the Indians are again a young team looking to return to postseason play.  The road to the playoffs has become more difficult, with the team losing its division lead and falling behind in the standings.  Cleveland holds a disappointing 22-23 record within the division, recently getting swept by the Detroit Tigers. 

Yet, the Indians have a core group as talented as the core group four years ago.  Justin Masterson and Chris Perez lead a talented pitching group while Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, and Carlos Santana have joined Hafner as key parts of the batting order.  With Hafner again out with injury, Thome—who Hafner has cited as one of his role models—comes back to Cleveland in the position to do what Lofton did four years ago.  Thome’s savvy, calmness, and familiarity with winning are greatly needed in the Indians’ lineup and clubhouse.  Like Lofton, Thome has experienced the ups and downs of playoff baseball before.  Also like Lofton, Thome is still seeking his first world championship.       

On September 8, 1995, Jim Thome caught the final out as the Indians clinched their first postseason appearance in 41 years.  Now, injuries prevent Thome from playing the field, but he is up for this challenge—he waived his no-trade clause to make his return back to Cleveland.  Thome remains a talented hitter, with his offense and veteran leadership offering the Indians’ fielders their best chance to be in position to experience a division-winning catch.    

Sources:

“All-Time Statistics.”  Indians.com (MLB.com).  Accessed August 25, 2011.  

Associated Press.  “Cleveland gets Lofton from Rangers in trade for minor-leaguer.”  Updated July 27, 2007.  ESPN.com.  Accessed August 25, 2011. 

Baseball-Reference.com.  Accessed August 25, 2011. 

Bastian, Jordan.  “Thome waives no-trade, returns to Indians.”  August 25, 2011.  MLB.com.  Accessed August 25, 2011. 

Crasnick, Jerry.  “Lofton keeps on ticking, delivers huge performance for Indians.”  October 4, 2007.  ESPN.com.  Accessed August 25, 2011. 

Manoloff, Dennis.  “Cleveland Indians acquire OF Kenny Lofton from Texas Rangers.”  Updated July 27, 2007.  Cleveland.com.  Accessed August 25, 2011.

“MLB Standings.”  Yahoo.com.  Accessed August 25, 2011. 

“The Jacobs Field Decade: Measured in Moments.”  2004.  Cleveland.com.  Accessed August 25, 2011.  

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