All-Time 25, Victory Field Era Roster: Nos. 13-10

The illustrious history of the Indianapolis Indians features some of the best players to ever step on a baseball diamond over the past century. Now, as we approach the 25th anniversary of a beautiful ballpark in downtown Indianapolis, we’ve broken down the best players to step foot on the grass at Victory Field.

The All-Time 25, Victory Field era roster countdown began Jan. 29 with honorable mentions and Nos. 25-22, and it continued Feb. 5 with Nos. 21-18 and Feb. 12 with Nos. 17-14. This article reveals Nos. 13-10 as we lead up to the announcement of the top player in the Victory Field era the week of March 9. Some you may remember because of their fan-favorite status in Indianapolis and others because of their future place in Cooperstown, but no matter how you remember them, they all made their mark on the game of baseball in the Circle City.

#13 – 3B Aaron Boone (1997-99)

Aaron Boone’s only full season in an Indianapolis uniform came in 1997, when he was named both a mid and postseason All-Star. He led the Indians with a .290 average, 22 home runs and 79 runs scored during his team MVP season. He started out strong, being named the American Association Batter of the Week on May 11 after a standout performance four days before when he went 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI in an 8-7 loss at Iowa. Over his three seasons with Indianapolis, Boone stole 31 bases to lead all third basemen in the Victory Field era and trails only Neil Walker in home runs (29), doubles (50) and RBI (120) at the hot corner.

Boone spent most of his 12-year major league career with Cincinnati. He was a high-.200s hitter, his best season for average coming in 2001 when he hit .294. He was named to his first and only All-Star Game in 2003 with Cincinnati and was traded at the deadline to New York (AL). Between the two teams that season he hit .267 with 24 home runs – just two shy of his career-high mark the year before. He is most remembered for hitting a walk-off home run for the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against division-rival Boston.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

229 games, .273 AVG (232-for-849), 50 2B, 6 3B, 29 HR, 120 RBI, 31 SB

5/11/1997 American Association Batter of the Week, 1997 AA mid and postseason All-Star, 1997 Team MVP

MLB Stats & Accolades

1,152 games, .263 AVG (1,017-for-3,871), 519 R, 216 2B, 17 3B, 126 HR, 555 RBI, 107 SB, .751 OPS

2003 National League All-Star, 3x NL Player of the Week

#12 – 3B Neil Walker (2007-10, 2013)

Neil Walker made his Triple-A debut in late August 2007 and skyrocketed to a 12-year MLB career that is still ongoing. He only appeared in 19 games for Indianapolis that year, but when he returned in 2008 for 133 games, he made a strong impact. Walker led the Indians with seven triples, 16 home runs, 80 RBI and 209 total bases to be named team MVP for the 2008 season. He received the team’s Slugger Award the following season after leading the team with 31 doubles, 14 home runs and 69 RBI. In the Victory Field era, Walker leads all third basemen with 36 home runs, 78 doubles and 175 RBI.

Walker earned a September callup in 2009 and made his debut that month with Pittsburgh. In his first qualifying rookie season, he hit .296 with 12 home runs and 66 RBI to finish fifth in 2010 National League Rookie of the Year voting. After being injured for part of the 2013 season, Walker rebounded and earned his only NL Silver Slugger Award in 2014 with a .271 average and a career-high 23 home runs.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

293 games, .259 AVG (285-for-1,102), 139 R, 78 2B, 11 3B, 36 HR, 175 RBI, 26 SB, .755 OPS

2008 Team MVP, 2009 Team Slugger

MLB Stats & Accolades

1,306 games, .267 AVG (1,224-for-4,583), 611 R, 238 2B, 22 3B, 149 HR, 609 RBI, 32 SB, .764 OPS, 19.8 bWAR

2010 Baseball America MLB All-Rookie Team, 2011 Pittsburgh MLBPAA Heart & Hustle Award nominee, 2014 National League Silver Slugger

#11 – 2B Marco Scutaro (2000-01)

When Marco Scutaro joined Indy near the end of the 2000 regular season as the player to be named in a seven-player trade between Cleveland and Milwaukee, he immediately made an impact on the soon-to-be Triple-A World Series Champions. He only appeared in four regular season games down the stretch, in which he hit .538 with a 1.571 OPS. Scutaro continued his offensive dominance in 2001, leading the team with a .295 average, 146 hits, 214 total bases, 87 runs scored and 62 walks to be named team MVP.

Scutaro was selected off waivers by the Mets in April 2002 and made his MLB debut later that season. That sparked a 13-year career in which he got better over time. During his age-36 season in 2012, he hit .362 through 61 games for San Francisco and then hit safely in all seven National League Championship Series games (six were multi-hit contests) with a .500 average to be named series MVP. The next season, he was selected to his first and only All-Star game.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

136 games, .301 AVG (153-for-508), 30 2B, 4 3B, 12 HR, 53 RBI, 12 SB

2001 Team MVP

MLB Stats & Accolades

1,391 games, .277 AVG (1,355-for-4,887), 683 R, 269 2B, 21 3B, 77 HR, 509 RBI, 55 SB, .729 OPS, 22.1 bWAR

2012 NLCS MVP, 2012 World Series Champion (San Francisco), 2013 National League All-Star (San Francisco)

#10 – SP Charlie Morton (2009-10, 2012-13, 2015)

After his first two stints in Triple-A with the Braves at Richmond (2008) and Gwinnett (2009), Morton was traded to Pittsburgh in June 2009. He appeared in just one game for Indianapolis that season and tossed a scoreless 7.0-inning outing. In 2010 he went 4-4 with a 3.83 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 80.0 innings (14 starts). He briefly appeared with Indianapolis in 2012-13 and 2015 on rehab assignments.

In a 13-year big-league career, Morton earned his first All-Star bid in 2018 with Houston as he held the best win percentage in all of MLB (15-3, .833). He went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA the next season, earning another All-Star bid and finishing third in American League Cy Young voting. Morton excels in the postseason, too, owning a 7-3 record and 3.38 ERA in 13 games (12 starts). Four of those playoff appearances have come in win-or-go-home situations – including three Game 7’s – during which he has posted the following numbers: 4-0 record, 0.46 ERA, 19.2 innings pitched, 11 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 6 walks, 19 strikeouts.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

22 games/22 starts, 5-6 record, 3.26 ERA, 127.0 IP, 122 H, 61 R, 46 ER, 7 HR, 46 BB, 97 K, 1.32 WHIP, .252 AVG

N/A

MLB Stats & Accolades

259 games/258 starts, 93-89 record, 4.08 ERA, 1,439.1 IP, 1,402 H, 728 R, 653 ER, 122 HR, 518 BB, 1,276 K, 1.33 WHIP, .256 AVG

2017 World Series Champion (Houston), 2018 (Houston) & 2019 (Tampa Bay) American League All-Star