All-Time 25, Victory Field Era Roster: Nos. 5-2

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. Over the last four weeks, player Nos. 21-18, 17-14, 13-10 and 9-6 were revealed ahead of today’s list of Nos. 5-2, all leading up to next week’s announcement of the top player in the Victory Field era. 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.

#5 – SP Ben Sheets (2000-01)

After spending the first half of the 2000 season in Double-A, Ben Sheets joined Indianapolis for its run to the postseason. After going 3-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 games (13 starts), the lowest ERA of an Indians starter with more than 75.0 innings that season, the righty was left off the postseason roster with an innings limit for the year. Sheets returned to the Circle City for two starts in late 2001, his rookie season with the Brewers, and went on to a 10-year MLB career.

Sheets’ best big-league performance came on May 16, 2004 when he struck out 18 batters in a complete-game win vs. Atlanta. That season marked the best of his career, and he finished the campaign ranked among National League leaders with a 2.70 ERA (3rd), 264 strikeouts (2nd), five complete games (T-2nd), and 0.98 WHIP (2nd) to finish eighth in NL Cy Young voting. His 8.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio led all major league qualifiers, and his bWAR of 7.2 was second in the NL to former Indianapolis Indian Randy Johnson.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

16 games/15 starts, 4-6 record, 2.92 ERA, 92.1 IP, 91 H, 36 R, 30 ER, 4 HR, 34 BB, 65 K, 1.35 WHIP, .259 AVG

N/A

MLB Stats & Accolades

250 games/250 starts, 94-96 record, 3.78 ERA, 1,596.2 IP, 1,577 H, 736 R, 670 ER, 184 HR, 369 BB, 1,325 K, 1.22 WHIP, .257 AVG, 23.2 bWAR

2001, 2004 & 2007-08 National League All-Star (Milwaukee)

#4 – SP Gerrit Cole (2012-14, 2016)

Just one year after being selected by the Pirates as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft and in his first season in professional baseball, Gerrit Cole made his debut in Indianapolis. In the final outing of his 2012 regular season, Cole earned the win with a quality start and seven strikeouts vs. Toledo. The next season Cole picked up where he left off in the Circle City, but it didn’t take long for Pittsburgh to come calling. He made 12 starts for the Indians in 2013 with a .190 average against and on June 11 vs. San Francisco, he earned the win in his MLB debut with 6.1 innings of two-run ball.

The rest is history. Cole returned to Indianapolis twice more for short rehab stints as his MLB career took off. In 2015, behind a 19-8 record, he pitched himself to his first All-Star Game and finishes in NL Cy Young (4th) and MVP (19th) voting. The right-handed ace continued to rise in the American League, posting the best season of his career in 2019. He went 20-5 with an AL-leading 2.50 ERA and MLB-leading 326 strikeouts to earn his third All-Star bid, finish 10th in AL MVP voting and trail only Justin Verlander in the race for AL Cy Young.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

19 games/19 starts, 9-4 record, 2.59 ERA, 104.1 IP, 75 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 5 HR, 34 BB, 82 K, 1.04 WHIP, .205 AVG

N/A

MLB Stats & Accolades

204 games/204 starts, 101-55 record, 3.19 ERA, 1,268.0 IP, 1,087 H, 488 R, 450 ER, 129 HR, 332 BB, 1,430 K, 1.12 WHIP, .231 AVG, 26.0 bWAR

2015 (National League) & 2018-19 (American League) All-Star, 2019 AL ERA Title, 2019 AL Cy Young Runner-Up

#3 – 3B Paul Konerko (1998)

Tabbed as the No. 2 overall prospect by Baseball America ahead of the 1998 season, Paul Konerko was acquired that summer by Cincinnati from Los Angeles (NL) on the Fourth of July. Already with parts of two major league seasons under his belt in a Dodger uniform, Konerko – a third baseman at the time – joined Indianapolis midseason and hit .327 with eight home runs, eight doubles and 39 RBI in as many games.

Following the 1998 season, Konerko was traded to the White Sox in exchange for outfielder Mike Cameron, and it was there where he took hold of his place in a big-league lineup. During 16 seasons with Chicago (AL), the now primary first baseman tallied 10 seasons with 25-plus home runs, nine with 90-or-more RBI, six All-Star bids and finished as high as fifth in the American League MVP race (2010). In 2005 he was named the ALCS MVP with two home runs and seven RBI and helped lead the White Sox to a World Series Championship.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

39 games, .327 AVG (49-for-150), 25 R, 8 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 1 SB, .942 OPS

N/A

MLB Stats & Accolades

2,349 games, .279 AVG (2,340-for-8,393), 1,162 R, 410 2B, 8 3B, 439 HR, 1,412 RBI, 9 SB, .841 OPS, 28.0 bWAR

2002, 2005-06 & 2010-12 American League All-Star (Chicago [AL]), 2005 ALCS MVP, 2005 World Series Champion, 2014 Roberto Clemente Award winner, No. 14 retired by the White Sox in 2015

#2 – 3B Jose Bautista (2005-06, 2008)

After being selected by Baltimore from Pittsburgh in the 2003 Rule 5 Draft and bouncing around to three other organizations, Jose Bautista returned to the Pirates at the 2004 trade deadline. He spent the rest of the season in Pittsburgh before landing back in the minors the next year. Bautista, a future big-league slugger, began 2005 with Double-A Altoona and made his Circle City debut in late August. His longest stint with the Indians came in 2006 when he hit .277 with 12 runs scored in 29 games.

He hit in the mid-to-low .200s with a season-high 16 home runs (2006) during his five-year run with the Buccos, but Bautista’s career really took off after Pittsburgh traded him to Toronto in Aug. 2008. In 2010, he earned his first of six consecutive All-Star bids and was named an American League Silver Slugger while finishing fourth in AL MVP voting. He topped himself again in 2011 when he hit a career-high .302 with MLB-leading figures in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.608) and OPS (1.056) OPS to finish third in AL MVP voting.

“Joey Bats” participated in the MLB Home Run Derby twice (2012, ’14) and finished second to Prince Fielder in 2012, marking the highest HR Derby finish by a former Indians player since Larry Walker was second in 1997.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

47 games, .273 AVG (47-for-172), 24 R, 14 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 4 SB, .797 OPS

N/A

MLB Stats & Accolades

1,798 games, .247 AVG (1,496-for-6,051), 1,022 R, 312 2B, 17 3B, 344 HR, 975 RBI, 70 SB, .836 OPS, 36.7 bWAR

2010-15 American League All-Star (Toronto), 2010-11 & 2014 AL Silver Slugger, 2010-11 & 2014 Toronto Team MVP, four-time AL Player of the Week, five-time AL Player of the Month