Super slugger Jim Thome hit singles in Canton; Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez slugged away

Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium was home to five of baseball's top power hitters of the last 30 years.

At least, that's what they became after extended stops in Canton, which housed Cleveland's Class AA farm affiliate from 1989-96.

One became the most feared hitter in Major League Baseball in the mid-1990s. Two others surpassed 500 career home runs, with one of those two eclipsing 600 on his way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Four of the five put together multiple 40-home run seasons.

A look at the five:

Jim Thome's Cleveland power surge came after Canton

With Canton: He played third base in 1991 and led the Eastern League with a .337 batting average before a call-up to Triple-A Colorado Springs. He opened 1992 in Canton, hitting .336 in 30 games, eventually finishing the year in Cleveland, where he hit .205 in 40 games. Weird fact: He hit only six home runs in 114 games with Canton.

With Cleveland: In 1,399 games with Cleveland, he hit 337 — the most in franchise history — of his 612 Major League home runs in 22 seasons. He belted 17 home runs in 55 playoff games for Cleveland. His 52 homers in 2002 stand as a franchise record. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Albert Belle's Canton blasts got him to Cleveland

With Canton: Known then as Joey Belle, he played 89 games for Canton-Akron in Munson Stadium's inaugural season of 1989. He led the Eastern League with 20 home runs when he was called up to Cleveland. In 1990, he split the year among Canton (nine games), Colorado Springs (24 games) and Cleveland (nine games).

With Cleveland: His moods became a national story in 1991, when, playing left field in Municipal Stadium, he threw a ball into the chest of a heckler. He hit 28 home runs in 1991, 34 in 1992 and 38 in 1993, when he led the American League with 129 RBIs. In 1994, '95 and '96, he was in the top three in MVP voting. He hit .357 in 1994. In 1995, he led the league with 121 runs, 52 doubles, 50 home runs and a .690 slugging percentage. He retired with 381 homers over 12 seasons — 242 of those in his eight Cleveland seasons.

Manny Ramirez lit up Canton prior to runs in Cleveland, Boston

With Canton: Ramirez was 20 years old when he arrived in 1993, and he went on to play 89 games with Canton. He had 17 home runs, 79 RBIs and a .340 batting average when he was promoted to Class AAA Charlotte.

With Cleveland: He became the regular right fielder in 1994. In 1995, he went 4-for-4 with two home runs in an ALCS win at Seattle. His 165 RBIs in 1999 are a franchise record. He finished in the top six in American League MVP voting in 1998, 1999 and 2000. In 2000, he hit .351 and led the league with a .697 slugging percentage. He then bolted to Boston, ending his career with 555 home runs over 19 years.

Brian Giles broke through in his second season at Munson

With Canton: An outfielder drafted in the 17th round, Giles gave Canton 23 games in 1992 after getting promoted from Class A Kinston. He spent the entire 1993 season in Canton, playing 123 games, batting .327 with eight home runs in 425 at bats.

With Cleveland: He spent the majority of the 1994, '95 and '96 seasons in Triple-A before becoming an everyday outfielder in Cleveland in 1997. In 299 games with Cleveland, he hit .284 with 39 home runs. He appeared in 21 games in the 1997 and '98 postseasons. After getting traded to Pittsburgh for pitcher Ricardo Rincon, he hit 35 or more homers in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. He finished with 287 homers over 15 seasons.

Richie Sexson a heavier hitter in Cleveland than in Canton

With Canton: In the team's final year in Canton, 1996, the 6-foot-7 first baseman played in 133 games, hitting .276 with 33 doubles and 16 home runs. He played more games than three Canton teammates (Rod McCall, Bruce Aven, Luis Raven) who had more homers than he did.

With Cleveland: In 1999, Sexson's first extended opportunity in the bigs, he amassed 31 home runs and 116 RBIs in 479 at-bats. With a surplus of hitters, Cleveland traded him to the Brewers midway through 2000. He hit 45 home runs for Milwaukee in 2001 and again in 2003 on his way to 306 career MLB dingers over 12 seasons.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome got to Cleveland via Munson