5. LUKE SEWELL (1921-32, 1939)
Sewell was the younger brother and longtime Indians teammate of Joe Sewell, one of Cleveland’s best-ever shortstops and a Hall of Famer.
Luke Sewell was a top-notch catcher defensively and a good-enough hitter at a position from which — during his era — not much was expected offensively.
The 20-year-old Sewell caught three games for the 1921 Indians, then averaged 42 games behind the plate for them over the next four campaigns. He then caught 108 games per season in the next seven years. Sewell was traded to the Washington Senators following the 1932 season and went on to complete a 20-year big league career, including a 16-game stint with Cleveland in 1939.
Sewell played 978 games for Cleveland, including 941 behind the plate. He threw out 48 percent of baserunners attempting a stolen base, about five percent better than the American League average during those seasons. With the Indians, he led AL catchers in assists and caught stealings three times, in double plays twice, and in games caught and caught stealing percentage once.
The right-handed hitting Sewell had a .259 batting average in 3,195 at bats during his Cleveland career. He totaled 171 doubles, 34 triples and eight home runs. He had 388 RBI, 381 runs scored and 41 stolen bases. He didn’t draw many walks (263) nor did he strike out often (196). Brother Joe struck out at the second-lowest rate of any qualifying player in major league history: once every 62.6 at bats.
Luke Sewell was ninth in the American League Most Valuable Player voting in 1927, when he hit .294 with 27 doubles, six triples, no homers, 53 RBI and 52 runs scored in 470 at bats. He led the AL in four catching categories defensively.
In 1928, Sewell placed 12th in the MVP tally. He hit .270 with 16 doubles, nine triples, three homers, 52 RBI and 52 runs in 411 at bats, and was first in three defensive categories behind the plate.
Recent Comments