Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Cleveland Guardians.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Guardians entered the season as a World Series contender, and competed in the American League Championship Series, losing to the New York Yankees in five.  There was one new entry, though that was based on the new algorithm.   There were also changes on the list, based on 2024.

As always, we present our top five, which had a major change based on the algorithm.

1. Nap Lajoie

2. Bob Feller

3. Tris Speaker

4. Lou Boudreau

5. Bob Lemon

You can find the entire list here.

On the top five, we have a brand new number one, based on our adjustments.  Nap Lajoie takes over the pole position.

Jose Ramirez made a significant jump from #13 to #7.   

Pitcher Shane Bieber remained at #47.

With the new algorithm, Catcher Steve O’Neill enters at #48.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

In the bruising, bare-knuckle world of early 20th-century catching, Steve O’Neill was the ultimate ironman of the Cleveland infield. Arriving in 1911, he didn't just occupy the space behind the plate; he anchored the franchise through its most transformative decade. Known for a defensive resilience that bordered on the supernatural.

O’Neill’s stay in Cleveland was defined by a steady evolution from a defensive specialist into a complete, high-frequency offensive contributor. While his reputation was built on being a wizard with the glove, smothering wild pitches and neutralizing the era's aggressive baserunners, his bat caught up to his elite fielding as the league moved into the 1920s. He reached a professional high-water mark in consistency starting in 1919, beginning a four-year run in which he recorded at least 100 hits annually. He was a model of specialized efficiency during the 1920 championship season, providing the veteran poise and steady-state production required to help the Indians secure their first World Series title.

The most profound aspect of his game was a late-career offensive surge that saw him bat over .300 for three consecutive summers from 1920 to 1922. His approach reached statistical outlier status in 1922, a season in which he hit .311 and drove in 65 runs while maintaining his legendary defensive standards. This performance earned him a sixth-place finish in the MVP voting, a rare and prestigious recognition for a catcher in that era. He possessed a specialized durability that allowed him to catch over 100 games in eight different seasons for Cleveland, serving as the primary engine for a pitching staff that relied on his tactical mind and physical toughness.

In 1924, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, marking the end of a thirteen-year tenure that redefined the catching position for the franchise.  With Cleveland, O’Neill compiled 1,071 hits and 467 RBIs while serving as the defensive anchor for the 1920 World Series title.

The organization provided the final punctuation to his legacy in 1951, inducting him into the franchise's Hall of Fame as part of the very first class.