Video Vault: Jacoby, Baerga, Keith Hernandez and your 1990 Tribe

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Indians of 1990 was a team in transition.

Brothers David and Dick Jacobs purchased the team in 1986 and the plan to make the team competitive was being molded. We were a few years away from those powerhouse teams of the 90s.

The infield of that season was an example of the transition.

Keith Hernandez was signed as free agent to play first base. Carlos Baerga, acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres for Joe Carter, would play shortstop and share some time with veteran third baseman Brook Jacoby.

The story in our video player is one WEWS sports director Nev Chandler filed from spring training in Tucson.

Nev focused on Jacoby’s six-year tenure with the Tribe, as kind of the last man standing.

“I’ve seen them come and seen them go, and I’m the last one left here so we’ll see what happens,” said Jacoby.

What happened was pretty mediocre.

Hernandez, a World Series champ, batting title winner, 11-time Gold Glove winner and 1974 MVP, played only about a quarter of the season and hit just one home run. He retired after the season.

The Indians finished fourth among the seven teams in the American League East.

Jacoby was chosen for the All-Star game in 1990 and hit just shy of .300 that season.

But the best was yet to come for Tribe fans including a new ballpark, two World Series appearances and a string of 455 sold out home games.