All-Time 25, Victory Field Era Roster: Nos. 25-22 and Honorable Mentions

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 will highlight the best players to ever step foot on the grass at Victory Field.

Four players will be released each week, all leading 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 Indianapolis.

Honorable Mentions

The following players all came through Indianapolis during their long careers, but either played in only a few games with the Indians or came to the Circle City following their big-league success.

Carlos Baerga (1999) – 3x AL All-Star, 2x AL Silver Slugger
Bret Boone (1997) – 3x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove, 2x AL Silver Slugger
Brendan Donnelly (1995, 1998) – 2002 World Series Champion, 2003 AL All-Star
Mark Loretta (2000-01) – 2x All-Star, 2004 NL Silver Slugger
Denny Neagle (1999)– 2x NL All-Star, 2000 World Series Champion
Terry Pendleton (1997) – 1991 NL MVP, 1991 NL Batting Title, 1992 NL All-Star, 3x NL Gold Glove
David Ross (2005) – 2013 and 2016 World Series Champion
B.J. Ryan (1999) – 2x AL All-Star
Ryan Vogelsong (2006, 2016) – 2011 NL All-Star, 2012 and 2014 World Series Champion
Scott Williamson (1998) – 1999 NL Rookie of the Year, 1999 NL All-Star

#25 – C Ryan Doumit (2005-07, 2009-11)

Out of all the catchers to come through Indianapolis in the last 25 years, Ryan Doumit made the biggest impact for the Indians. He began his Indy career with a stellar .352 batting average in 50 games in 2005 en route to an impressive career mark of .329. On April 23, 2007 he was named International League Player of the Week and hit .415 in 16 games before spending the rest of the season with Pittsburgh. One year later, on June 10 vs. Washington, he hit two doubles and two home runs in his third career big-league four-hit game and was named National League Player of the Week six days later.

In 2008, Doumit solidified himself as an everyday member of the Pittsburgh lineup and hit .318 with 15 home runs in 116 games. He maintained his everyday-player status over the next three seasons for the Buccos before spending the final three years of his career with Minnesota and Atlanta.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

89 games, .329 AVG (96-for-292), 66 R, 18 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR, 67 RBI, 4 SB, .984 OPS, 34% caught-stealing rate

4/23/2007 International League Player of the Week

MLB Stats & Accolades

980 games, .264 AVG (818-for-3,093), 350 R, 191 2B, 7 3B, 104 HR, 413 RBI, 12 SB, .756 OPS, 24% caught-stealing rate

6/16/2008 NL Player of the Week

#24 – RP Bob Scanlan (2000)

Reliever Bob Scanlan’s name is synonymous with success in Indianapolis. A key member of the 2000 Triple-A World Series championship team, the established big leaguer set the Indians franchise record with 35 saves over the course of the season and recorded the final three outs of the championship series in Las Vegas.

With his historic season, Scanlan became just the eighth pitcher to be named Indians Team MVP since 1943. The honor came after seven years in the big leagues, most of which came with the Chicago Cubs in the early 1990s.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

57 games/0 starts, 2-2 record, 35 SV, 1.79 ERA, 60.1 IP, 42 H, 16 R, 12 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 23 K, 0.99 WHIP, .193 AVG

2000 Indians MVP, 2000 Triple-A World Series Champion

MLB Stats & Accolades

290 games/39 starts, 20-34 record, 17 SV, 4.63 ERA, 536.2 IP, 583 H, 312 R, 276 ER, 41 HR, 209 BB, 245 K, 1.48 WHIP, .281 AVG

N/A

#23 – SP Ian Snell (2005, 2009)

On May 15, 2005, Ian Snell made Victory Field history and forever solidified himself in the Indians record books. Almost 10 years after Victory Field opened its gates, the right-hander tossed the first no-hitter in the history of the ballpark. Two weeks after earning his first International League Pitcher of the Week honor for the month, Snell tossed 9.0 shutout innings with just one walk and nine strikeouts en route to the first Indians no-hitter since 1988.

Snell’s performance earned him a second IL Pitcher of the Week honor and later named him the 2005 MiLB Minor League Best Single-Game Performer. He had made his major league debut the previous August and spent 15 games (five starts) with Pittsburgh later in the 2005 season. Snell spent the next three full seasons in the big leagues before being optioned to Indy in June 2009. In his first start for Indy in almost four years, June 28 vs. Toledo, Snell fired 7.0 innings and struck out 17 batters, the most by an Indians pitcher in the last 25 years.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

24 games/24 starts, 13-5 record, 3.01 ERA, 149.1 IP, 118 H, 56 R, 50 ER, 14 HR, 36 BB, 151 K, 1.03 WHIP, .215 AVG

5/1 and 5/15/2005 IL Pitcher of the Week, 2005 IL midseason All-Star, 2005 Futures Game Selection, 2005 MiLB Triple-A Best Single-Game Performer, 2005 MiLB Minor League Best Single-Game Performer, 2005 Indians Most Strikeouts Award

MLB Stats & Accolades

152 games/136 starts, 38-53 record, 4.80 ERA, 803.2 IP, 873 H, 458 R, 429 ER, 100 HR, 372 BB, 639 K, 1.55 WHIP, .279 AVG

N/A

#22 – 1B Matt Hague (2011-14)

Matt Hague was the fourth Indianapolis Indian in history to be a two-time team MVP, following outfielder Dallas Williams (1983, 1987), first baseman Dave Revering (1976-77) and infielder/outfielder Larry Raines (1956, 1960). Hague began his four-year Indians career with a league-leading 165 hits and team-leading .309 batting average, 37 doubles, 244 total bases and 70 runs.

Hague followed his All-Star season with his first in the major leagues, making his debut on April 7, 2012. He spent 30 games in Pittsburgh while splitting the season in the major and minor leagues before landing himself back in Indianapolis for the 2013 campaign. On May 21, 2013, Hague went 3-for-5 with three doubles in the first of three straight multi-hit games to earn the International League Player of the Week award.

Indianapolis Stats & Accolades

467 games, .289 AVG (510-for-1,767), 230 R, 103 2B, 6 3B, 38 HR, 264 RBI, 12 SB, .783 OPS

2011 and 2013 Indianapolis Team MVP, 2011 International League mid and postseason All-Star, 5/27/2013 International League Player of the Week, 2014 International League midseason All-Star

MLB Stats & Accolades

43 games, .226 AVG (19-for-84), 6 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB, .548 OPS

N/A