The 1988 Cleveland Indians season was the 88th season for the franchise. The team, managed by Doc Edwards, finished sixth in the American League East.
Despite its mediocre season, the team had a significant legacy in Major League Baseball in the 21st century. Twenty-five years later, five of the 30 MLB managers at the start of the 2013 season were alumni of the 1988 Indians:
Bud Black, pitcher – San Diego Padres
Terry Francona, first baseman/outfielder – Cleveland Indians
John Farrell, pitcher – Boston Red Sox
Charlie Manuel, hitting coach – Philadelphia Phillies
Ron Washington, utility infielder – Texas Rangers
The team also had players who became MLB Broadcasters, coaches, and front office executives:
Scott Bailes, pitcher- fill-in broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians
Tom Candiotti, pitcher- radio color analyst for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Rod Nichols, pitcher- former Philadelphia Phillies bullpen coach, current Iowa Cubs pitching coach
Rick Rodriguez, pitcher- former Oakland Athletics bullpen coach, current Sacramento River Cats
Greg Swindell, pitcher- former Arizona Diamondbacks pregame and postgame analyst. In 2011, Swindell served as the Color commentator for the Little League Southwest Region tournament
Chris Bando, catcher- former Milwaukee Brewers bench and 3rd base coach from 1996–1998
Jay Bell, infielder- former Arizona Diamondbacks bench and hitting coach, former Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach, former Cincinnati Reds bench coach
Brook Jacoby, infielder- former Cincinnati Reds hitting coach and current Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach
Willie Upshaw, infielder- former San Francisco Giants 1st base coach
Joe Carter, outfielder- former Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs TV analyst
Dave Clark, outfielder- former Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach, former Houston Astros interim manager, 3rd base coach, and 1st base coach, and currently the Detroit Tigers third base coach
Cory Snyder, outfielder- hitting coach for the Jackson Generals, a Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners
Pat Tabler, outfielder- Toronto Blue Jays TV color analyst
Rod Allen, outfielder- former Arizona Diamondbacks broadcaster, current Detroit Tigers television analyst
Dan Firova, catcher- current Washington Nationals bullpen coach
Doug Jones, closer- current pitching coach of the Boise Hawks, the short-season A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies