Bob Lemon
The Indians converted their third baseman into one of the American League's most dominant pitchers, and Lemon proved them brilliantly right. After hitting .180 in 1946, he moved to the mound full-time and never looked back, posting a 207-128 record with a 121 ERA+ that made him 21 percent better than league average throughout his career.
Lemon's peak came during Cleveland's championship era of the late 1940s and early 1950s, when he consistently ranked among the AL's best starters. His 1277 strikeouts in 2850 innings reflected excellent control and durability — he was the workhorse ace who could handle 250-plus innings year after year.
What separated Lemon from other converted position players was his immediate success and sustained excellence. Most pitchers struggle with the transition, but he seamlessly evolved from a failed hitter into a Hall of Famer who anchored one of baseball's great rotations.
Career · Hitting
15 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | CLE | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — |
| 1942 | CLE | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — |
| 1946 | CLE | 55 | 89 | 1 | 4 | .180 | — | — |
| 1947 | CLE | 47 | 56 | 2 | 5 | .321 | — | — |
| 1948 | CLE | 52 | 119 | 5 | 21 | .286 | — | — |
| 1949 | CLE | 46 | 108 | 7 | 19 | .269 | — | — |
| 1950 | CLE | 72 | 136 | 6 | 26 | .272 | — | — |
| 1951 | CLE | 56 | 102 | 3 | 13 | .206 | — | — |
| 1952 | CLE | 54 | 124 | 2 | 9 | .226 | — | — |
| 1953 | CLE | 51 | 112 | 2 | 17 | .232 | — | — |
| 1954 | CLE | 40 | 98 | 2 | 10 | .214 | .594 | — |
| 1955 | CLE | 49 | 78 | 1 | 9 | .244 | .626 | — |
| 1956 | CLE | 43 | 93 | 5 | 12 | .194 | .627 | — |
| 1957 | CLE | 25 | 46 | 1 | 1 | .065 | .217 | — |
| 1958 | CLE | 15 | 13 | 0 | 1 | .231 | .516 | — |
| Career | 615 | 1183 | 37 | 147 | .232 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
13 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | CLE | 32 | 94.0 | 4 | 5 | 2.49 | 144 | 39 | 1.543 |
| 1947 | CLE | 37 | 167.3 | 11 | 5 | 3.44 | 115 | 65 | 1.476 |
| 1948 | CLE | 43 | 293.7 | 20 | 14 | 2.82 | 146 | 147 | 1.226 |
| 1949 | CLE | 37 | 279.7 | 22 | 10 | 2.99 | 138 | 138 | 1.244 |
| 1950 | CLE | 44 | 288.0 | 23 | 11 | 3.84 | 114 | 170 | 1.483 |
| 1951 | CLE | 42 | 263.3 | 17 | 14 | 3.52 | 115 | 132 | 1.397 |
| 1952 | CLE | 42 | 309.7 | 22 | 11 | 2.50 | 148 | 131 | 1.101 |
| 1953 | CLE | 41 | 286.7 | 21 | 15 | 3.36 | 123 | 98 | 1.371 |
| 1954 | CLE | 36 | 258.3 | 23 | 7 | 2.72 | 143 | 110 | 1.239 |
| 1955 | CLE | 35 | 211.3 | 18 | 10 | 3.88 | 103 | 100 | 1.382 |
| 1956 | CLE | 39 | 255.3 | 20 | 14 | 3.03 | 131 | 94 | 1.249 |
| 1957 | CLE | 21 | 117.3 | 6 | 11 | 4.60 | 83 | 45 | 1.645 |
| 1958 | CLE | 11 | 25.3 | 0 | 1 | 5.33 | 72 | 8 | 2.250 |
| Career | 460 | 2849.9 | 207 | 128 | — | — | 1277 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.