Jersey number has significance for many Indians

It might seem the person who wields the most power in the Indians clubhouse is Francisco Lindor because of his personality, Jose Ramirez because of his bat, Corey Kluber because of what he does on the mound or Terry Francona because he manages the Tribe.

Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.

The person that wields the most power is equipment manager Tony Amato, because he is in charge of making sure a player’s uniform fits just the way the player wants.

Amato is also in charge of assigning the uniform numbers that will be on full display to the nation when the Indians start their postseason journey on Oct. 5.

Did you ever wonder why a player wears a certain number? Why, for example, does Lindor wear 12?

“I usually go back and see what their past history is,” Amato said recently in the clubhouse at Progressive Field. “It’s easy to look up on the Internet. With retired numbers, it’s basically about availability.

“A lot guys will come back and say, ‘Why did you give away my number?’ One time CC Sabathia asked me ‘How could you give away my 52? I’m coming back. I’m coming back.’

“I said, “CC, you just signed an eight-year deal. You’re not coming back anytime soon.’”

Some players have stories to tell about the numbers they wear. Others wear the number chosen for them by Amato, as the following Indians reveal:

• First baseman Yonder Alonso, 17: “That’s my dad’s favorite number, so I wanted to wear it to honor him. I’ve tried in the past to get it on other teams, and it was taken, so I respect that. My dad played baseball in Havana in Cuba and he wore 17. I wanted to give back.”

Francona was wearing 17, but was happy to give it to Alonso. Francona now wears 77.

• Pitcher Shane Bieber, 57: “I got called up this year, and that’s the number they gave me. Usually rookies are low on the pecking order.”

• Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, 52: “They gave me this number, but it’s also my first daughter’s birthday, 5-2, so I can’t change it now. I was called up two weeks after Penelope was born. It ended up being a neat coincidence.”

• Second baseman Jason Kipnis, 22: “I came up through the minor leagues with Lonnie Chisenhall. We both like 8 as our favorite number. We had a deal and a race to get up here; whoever got there first would be No. 8. Chis beat me and got the number. 22 was given to me. I didn’t pick it. There was no significance when I got it, but now I love it. It’s grown on me. It’s the number I wear proudly every day and I try to turn it into something good.”

• Center fielder Rajai Davis, 26: “It was the closest number to 20. That’s what I wore when I was a kid. My number is 11. I grew up watching (Reds shortstop) Barry Larkin. He was number 11. I wanted to be like him. I wore 11 with Oakland and Toronto.”

Jose Ramirez was already wearing 11 with the Indians when Davis signed with the Tribe for the first time in 2016.

• Relief pitcher Brad Hand, 33: “I’ve always been 52, but “Clev” had that, so I picked 33 randomly. No meaning.”

• Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, 47: “I’m not interested in talking about that story. It has a personal meaning and I’m not going to share it.”

• Outfielder Brandon Guyer, 6: “I was No. 5 with the Rays for a lot of my time there. I came here and it’s retired (Lou Boudreau) so they gave me 6 because it was closest to 5.”

• Center fielder Greg Allen, 1: “I was originally 53 when I made my debut last year and even through spring training. With the addition of Melky Cabrera, 53 was his number and the number he wore in the past. No. 1 was available and nobody was using it at the time. It’s the number I got. I’m definitely not upset by it. I happen to kind of like No. 1. It works out.”

• Right fielder Melky Cabrera, 53: “Bobby Abreu was my favorite player when he was with the Phillies. He wore 53. I liked the way he played and I liked the way he hit.”

Cabrera wore 53 with the Yankees, Braves, Royals, Giants, Blue Jays White Sox and now the Indians.

• Shortstop Francisco Lindor, 12: “I picked my number because my dad always wore 21 because of Roberto Clemente and one of my favorite players was Robbie Alomar. He wore 12. 12, 21, it all goes together. I grew up wearing 12 since I was a little kid. That’s the reason why.”

• Third baseman Jose Ramirez, 11: “That’s the number I liked. That’s the number I picked. It’s the number they gave me.”

• Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, 10: “One of my favorite players is Andujar Cedeno. He wore No. 10. He is from my home town (La Romana, Dominican Republic). When I grew up, I watched him play.”

Cedeno played in the Major Leagues from 1990-96 with stops in Houston, San Diego and Detroit.

Catcher Yan Gomes was wearing 10 when the Indians signed Encarnacion in 2017. Gomes agreed to give up 10 after what Amato said was “two weeks of bargaining.” No one revealed what Gomes received as compensation.

• Starting pitcher Corey Kluber, 28: “It’s the number Tony game me when I got called up in 2012. In 2011, when I first got called up, I was 34. He gave it to somebody else that offseason. When we first got to spring training in 2012 I had a high 60s number. When I got called up in the middle of the year, 28 was given to me. Nothing interesting to it.”

• Relief pitcher Cody Allen, 37: “It’s the number I was given when I got here. I didn’t want to change it. Some guys try to change, but I stuck with it. If I go somewhere else, I’m going to want 37 because that was the number I was given here.”

• Catcher Yan Gomes, 7: “I like single digits and it was the only one available. I was 68 my first year in Toronto. I was assigned that number. When I got the chance to pick my number, I chose 10 because that was the only one available at the time. Then when Edwin got here, he wanted 10 so I gave it to him. I wanted the next lowest number and 7 was available.”

• Relief pitcher Brad Cimber, 90: “It was the number they gave me in spring training this year (San Diego Padres). I didn’t expect to break out of camp. They asked me what I wanted when I got to San Diego. I said, ‘Let’s just keep rolling with 90.’ It’s a minor league grinder number and it helps me remember where I came from.

“They asked me when I came here and I said I wanted to keep 90. I found out about a week after I got to San Diego that I was the first person in Major League history to wear 90. I said, ‘I have to keep it, now.’”

• Left fielder Michael Brantley, 23: “Tony Amato gave me 23 as a rookie. That’s it. I have no connections to 23. That’s the number that was given to me. Now it means a lot to me. It’s my big league number.”

• Relief pitcher Andrew Miller, 24: “I didn’t really stress too much about it. I did wear 24 in high school. It was a popular number for kids in my generation because of Ken Griffey, but it’s not something I sought out when I was traded here. Tony listed about five numbers. It was the first one I acknowledged I wore before.”